Q&A: PEPFAR architect Anthony Fauci on the initiative's transformational impact

published on June 8, 2018 by Michael Igoe, in devex

WASHINGTON — The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a partnership between the United States government and African countries, has contributed to a transformation in health systems across the continent.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, was one of PEPFAR’s key architects. He was also one of the first people involved in the early, perilous days of AIDS research, before anyone could diagnose the cause of the disease that killed everyone it infected.

When President George W. Bush sent him to Africa in 2002 to explore the possibilities of bringing lifesaving drugs and treatment to a continent under siege by an infectious disease, Fauci thought he was being tasked with creating a $500 million program. Eventually, he came back with a $15 billion investment over five years that would be sustained, with bipartisan support, through multiple presidencies.

“It's an extraordinary phenomenon,” Fauci told Devex. “It shows what the goodwill of a nation can do.”

On the 15th anniversary of PEPFAR’s creation, Fauci spoke to Devex about the initiative’s inception, its impact on U.S. global health efforts, and the challenges that lie ahead.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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Q&A: PEPFAR architect Anthony Fauci on the initiative's transformational impact

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