KEY POINTS

  • Dr. Anthony Fauci earned $384,000 in 2018
  • He is an expert in highly infectious diseases such as HIV, AIDS and Ebola
  • Dr. Fauci is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Dr. Anthony Fauci reportedly earned $384,000 in 2018 while serving as a Medical Officer at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. The medical leader has made the headlines recently for his stance in fighting COVID-19.

The pandemic crisis is crippling America day by day. The figures are not looking good and people are turning to Dr. Fauci for help. The medical officer has worked for the National Institutes of Health from 2004 to 2018. In a report from Federal Pay, he started with a $200,000 base salary and worked his way up to $384,000 in 2018. The report also added that what he received in 2018 was 204 percent higher than what other medical officers received from other agencies. This might be attributed to his expert contributions to treating various infectious diseases.

The small studies carried out so far amount to "anecdotal" evidence, said Anthony Fauci, head of infectious diseases at the US National Institutes of Health - here with President Donald Trump
The small studies carried out so far amount to "anecdotal" evidence, said Anthony Fauci, head of infectious diseases at the US National Institutes of Health - here with President Donald Trump AFP / MANDEL NGAN

Fauci has been one of the frontliners in battling HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and Ebola and Zika, among others. His massive experience and knowledge on HIV and AIDS spanned six U.S. presidents. In fact, he has already published several articles on coronavirus as early as January and February 2020, as per the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. In a way, had people taken these articles more seriously, the damage from the pandemic could have been a lot more manageable.

Because of his brilliance, he has received several awards. According to Fortune, Dr. Fauci is a proud recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and he has 38 honorary doctoral degrees worldwide. He was also ranked 39th on the World’s Greatest Leaders list.

As a man of science and logic, the job does not come easy. The medical expert has been receiving threats, which prompted the administration to beef up his personal security. Dr. Fauci has been vocal about his stance on social distancing and even corrects President Donald Trump when he slips.

As what the Washington Post reported, his warnings of hundreds of deaths in the U.S. did not sit well with bloggers who favor eased restrictions to boost the economy. A post about him went viral in March and it depicted Dr. Facui as someone who is against the Trump administration. When the president claimed a vaccine was on the way soon, the medical expert corrected him that it could take longer, maybe more than a year, to make it happen.

Although others don’t believe him, it is hard to argue against his credentials and achievements. Dr. Fauci was the 13th most cited scientist in the world at some point. This means he was one of the top references of about three million authors and experts in the world. His opinion may be unpopular but battling the pandemic needs the vision and leadership of someone who has seen it all.