Anthony Fauci to join Georgetown University as professor

Dr. Anthony Fauci is joining the faculty at Georgetown University in his first position after a decades-long government career that included a leading role during the Covid pandemic.

Starting next week, Fauci will be a professor at the school of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases. He will also work in the McCourt School of Public Policy.

“I am delighted to join the Georgetown family, an institution steeped in clinical and academic excellence with an emphasis on the Jesuit tradition of public service,” Fauci said in a statement Monday. “This is a natural extension of my scientific, clinical and public health career, which was initially grounded from my high school and college days where I was exposed to intellectual rigor, integrity and service-mindedness of Jesuit institutions.”

Fauci served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 1984 to 2022. He was also chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden.

Fauci was a top researcher focusing on infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS, Ebola and Zika. He quickly became a household name in March 2020 during the rapid spread of Covid-19.

But he was also a frequent target of conservatives who were critical of his Covid safety recommendations. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a GOP presidential candidate, this month referred to a “Faucian dystopia” when describing aspects of the pandemic, while former President Donald Trump, has called Fauci a “disaster.”

When announcing in August 2022 that he would be leaving the federal government, Fauci did not specify any next steps, though he said he was not retiring.

"I want to use what I have learned as NIAID Director to continue to advance science and public health and to inspire and mentor the next generation of scientific leaders as they help prepare the world to face future infectious disease threats," Fauci said in an Aug. 22 statement.

Fauci, who received his undergraduate degree from the College of the Holy Cross, has several personal connections to Georgetown University. He and his wife, Christine Grady, were married in Georgetown’s Dahlgren Chapel, and Grady earned her undergraduate and Ph.D. degrees at Georgetown. Additionally, their three daughters were born at Georgetown Hospital.

"I ask myself, now, at this stage in my life, what do I have to offer to society?" Fauci said in a Q&A accompanying Georgetown's news release on Monday. "Sure, I could do more experiments in the lab and have my lab going, but given what I’ve been through, I think what I have to offer is experience and inspiration to the younger generation of students. If I accomplish that, I think I’ll make a major contribution to Georgetown."

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com