Anthony S. Fauci awarded Lasker Award for Public Service
Sep 18, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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The Lasker Awards were first presented in 1946, and are administered by the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation. The late Mary Woodard Lasker is widely recognized for her singular contribution to the growth of the National Institutes of Health and her unflagging commitment to government funding of medical research in the hope of curing diseases. Her support for medical research spanned five decades, during which she was the nation�s foremost citizen-activist on behalf of medical science.
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By NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,
[RxPG] Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has been awarded the 2007 Mary Woodard Lasker Award for Public Service for his role in developing two major U.S. public health programs, in AIDS and biodefense. The award will be presented on Friday, September 28th during a luncheon ceremony in New York City.
Dr. Fauci is honored for his role in helping develop the President�s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the largest public health program in history devoted to a single disease, as well as Project Bioshield, designed to accelerate the research, development, purchase and availability of medical countermeasures against the effects of biological, chemical, radiological and nuclear agents.
�In nearly four decades of service to NIH, Tony Fauci has made innumerable scientific contributions that have improved the health of millions of people in this country and abroad,� says NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D. �As a clinician, researcher, and scientific leader, Dr. Fauci has channeled his intellect, compassion, and vision into discoveries and research programs that have transformed medicine and public health.�
Earlier this year, Dr. Fauci received two other major honors: the George M. Kober Medal of the Association of American Physicians for his work in clinical medicine, and the National Medal of Science, for his research into the pathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease.
Dr. Zerhouni adds, �It is fitting to have Tony recognized with a �trifecta� of awards related to the three fundamental NIH missions: basic research, clinical research, and public service. It is hard to think of anyone more deserving of this award.�
Dr. Fauci�s tenure as NIAID director began in 1984. For nearly 23 years, he has overseen the extensive NIAID research portfolio of basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose and treat infectious and immunologic diseases. The NIAID budget for fiscal year 2007 is approximately $4.4 billion. He has advised several administrations on global HIV/AIDS issues and other emerging disease threats. These issues have also been the subject of his numerous congressional testimonies and briefings.
�It is a remarkable privilege as a physician/scientist to be given the opportunity to help formulate policies and programs that protect and improve global health,� says Dr. Fauci. �I am fortunate to have been in position to help bridge the gap between the biomedical research and policymaking communities, and to assist our leaders in developing programs predicated on the scientific advances made by NIH, our sister agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services, and our many collaborators worldwide.�
In addition to Dr. Fauci�s Lasker award, the 2007 Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research honors long-time NIAID grantee Ralph M. Steinman of Rockefeller University for his discovery of dendritic cells, immune system cells that trigger other components of the immune system to thwart microbial invaders. Further information about the awards and their recipients is available at
The Lasker Awards were first presented in 1946, and are administered by the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation. The late Mary Woodard Lasker is widely recognized for her singular contribution to the growth of the National Institutes of Health and her unflagging commitment to government funding of medical research in the hope of curing diseases. Her support for medical research spanned five decades, during which she was the nation�s foremost citizen-activist on behalf of medical science.
�It remains critical that the medical and public health communities channel the spirit of Mary Lasker and argue cogently for medical research, and for adequate attention and sustained support for the delivery of the fruits of that research to the people who need them most,� Dr. Fauci notes in an invited commentary in the journal Nature Medicine, available online at
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