The Ohio State University announces spring commencement speaker - 03/31/16
A physician and scientist who has worked to understand and develop treatments and preventions for infectious diseases ranging from AIDS to Zika will deliver The Ohio State University’s spring commencement address.
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), will address approximately 11,000 graduates and their families during the ceremony, which begins at noon on Sunday, May 8, at Ohio Stadium.
Fauci has served since 1984 as director of the NIAID. He is a leading figure in combating HIV/AIDS worldwide, having served on the front lines of the battle against HIV/AIDS since the disease was first reported in 1981. He has been instrumental in developing treatments that now enable people with HIV to live active, normal lives. He was also one of the principal architects of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a program that has saved millions of lives throughout the developing world.
Fauci has been a much sought-after and important advisor to five United States Presidents from President Reagan to President Obama, on many domestic and global health issues.
“It is a privilege to welcome one of the world’s leading – and most impactful – scientists to Ohio State as our spring commencement speaker,” said President Michael V. Drake. “Dr. Fauci has played a critical role in the battle against HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases for more than three decades, and will share with our graduates and families some of the principles that have guided him through these global health challenges.”
As director of NIAID, Fauci oversees an extensive research portfolio of basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose and treat infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria, Ebola and Zika. NIAID also supports research on transplantation and immune-related illnesses, including autoimmune disorders, asthma and allergies.
Dr. Fauci is the author, coauthor, or editor of more than 1,200 scientific publications including several textbooks. In 2003, an Institute for Scientific Information study indicated that in the 20-year period from 1983 to 2002, Fauci was the 13th most-cited scientist among the 2.5 to 3 million authors in all disciplines throughout the world who published articles in scientific journals during that time frame. In a 2016 analysis of Google Scholar citations, he ranked as the 18th most highly cited researcher of all time.
A graduate of the College of the Holy Cross, he received his M.D. degree from Cornell University Medical College. He is a member of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. His many honors include the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the highest honor given to a civilian by the President of the United States), the National Medal of Science, the George M. Kober Medal of the Association of American Physicians, the Mary Woodard Lasker Award for Public Service, the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research, the Robert Koch Gold Medal, the Prince Mahidol Award and the Canada Gairdner Global Health Award.
