Dr. Anthony Fauci Receives Hero’s Tribute From Bill Gates, Matthew McConaughey, Sharon Stone

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has become somewhat of a pop culture icon during the COVID-19 pandemic. His face has been slapped on bobbleheads, t-shirts, baseball cards and donuts. Brad Pitt even played him on Saturday Night Live.

The surge in notoriety has not surprised many who have followed Fauci’s career over five decades and tracked his groundbreaking work with previous public health crises involving HIV/AIDS, the West Nile virus, SARS, Ebola, Zika, H1N1 and now the novel coronavirus. It was his work with the latest pandemic that led him to receive the Federal Employee of the Year award Monday night during the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals ceremony.

The awards are often referred to as the Sammies or the Oscars of government service. No Pitt, but the virtual ceremony, hosted by Kumail Nanjiani, featured plenty of star power for a ceremony dedicated to federal employees and public servants.

President Barack Obama kicked off the 60-minute program by putting it perspective. “These outstanding honorees represent the excellence of our public servants who serve across administrations and are the lifeblood of a government of, by and for the people,” he said. “They don’t do it for the spotlight. They don’t do it for the paycheck. … As president, I saw the products of their work first hand, at home and overseas.”

He said the in the current moment, their collective contributions are “even more critical” as the United States faces the pandemic and the economic uncertainty that has accompanied it. “Challenges like these are far too big for any single person or entity to solve alone. That’s why we need government, it’s why we need good government. And it’s why we need hard working, dedicated people who care less about themselves than they do about those around them. That alone is worthy of a celebration.”

Fauci’s star-studded party featured Kristen Bell, who opened the tribute toward the tail end of the program. “The Federal Employee of the Year medal is awarded to someone who has excelled in their work as a public servant, federal employee and national heartthrob,” she said, nodding to his surge in popularity by wearing a pink t-shirt emblazoned with “Fauci Fan Club.” “If you’re not familiar with Dr. Fauci’s work, congratulations on just arriving here on planet Earth. We welcome you and your space ship.”

Fauci himself then helped detail his own career path, first by explaining that his day-to-day duties prior to the COVID-19 pandemic were different. “I had three functions as director of an institute that is responsible for either conducting or funding most of the biomedical research on infectious diseases and immune-mediated diseases and allergy,” he explained. “I’m also a physician and I still see patients and the NIH Clinical Center, mostly HIV-infected individuals, and I also run a laboratory on the pathogenic mechanisms of HIV. So, it really is a multi-faceted job”

“Ever since the onset of COVID-19, my life has changed actually because I became an active member of the coronavirus White House Task Force, either spending time at the White House or time here on activities that are intensively associated with COVID-19.”

He then explained why he’s so passionate about caring for the greater public, crediting his parents for instilling a strong sense of empathy in him, “that was fortified when I went to high school and college where the motto of Jesuit training is not self-centered but doing things for others,” he continued. “When I made that transition into a physician-scientist that fit right in with my abiding concept of public service. It was for the greater good. There’s nothing like that feeling.”

A series of tributes were peppered in, featuring a parade of boldfaced from the worlds of media, sports and Hollywood including Bono, Stephen Colbert, Mike Krzyzewski, Yo-Yo Ma, Sloane Stephens, Bryan Cranston, Katie Couric, Norah O’Donnell, Ty Burrell, Jeff Goldblum, Judy Woodruff, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, Andrea Mitchell, and Eugene Levy. The Schitt’s Creek star said, “You have been the calming voice during the worst pandemic in 100 years, and you’ve been a hero to me and to millions and millions of Americans.”

Sharon Stone, who knows Fauci well through their work battling HIV/AIDS together over many years, choked back tears. “Thank you for showing us what dignity is like. Thank you for speaking truth to power. Thank you for being brave. Just, thank you.”

“I’ve said that not all heroes wear capes, you are a shining example of that,” offered Matthew McConaughey. “What a deserving award for you.”

Bill Gates, who does not often appear in major awards show tributes, also turned up to say, “Most people got to know Dr. Fauci this year, but he’s been battling disease for half a century. Dr. Fauci, I want to thank you for devoting your life to science and the facts and for always telling the truth, even during the hardest moments.”

To close out his acceptance speech, Fauci again turned attention to the greater good.

“When you are doing the kinds of things I am doing right now, the thing that you’re really focusing on like a laser beam is the job you have to do and the importance of that job, and the importance of doing it well. So, when you hear that you’ve won an award that is so important as the Sammie award, you just sort of sit back and are very grateful for it.”

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