BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington has named Dr. Anthony Fauci as the recipient of the school's Ryan White Distinguished Leadership Award, which recognizes individuals who are "exemplary bearers of the standard of excellence and commitment needed to combat HIV/AIDS."
This year, Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was selected for his work in HIV/AIDS prevention and as the nation's top infectious disease expert during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Recipients of the Ryan White Distinguished Leadership Award have demonstrated their solemn promise to scientific methods, access to treatment and educating the public," said William L. Yarber, provost professor at the School of Public Health. "Dr. Fauci -- from his early and continuing work in HIV/AIDS prevention to the COVID-19 pandemic -- is perhaps the most recognizable figure associated with infectious disease research and public awareness."
The award was established in 2009 by the School of Public Health's Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention. It honors Ryan White, an Indiana teen who was diagnosed with HIV in 1984 after receiving contaminated blood products to treat his hemophilia. White was banned from public school and his legal battle to return to school made international news. He died at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis at the age of 18.
The center will present the award to Fauci and host him for a "fireside chat" as part of a virtual ceremony at 5:15 p.m. Dec. 6.
