On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service

The memoir by the doctor who became a beacon of hope for millions through the COVID pandemic, and whose six-decade career in high-level public service put him in the room with seven presidents.

Author Anthony Fauci

In the context that America is struggling to cope with the COVID-19 epidemic, Mr. Fauci is considered the most reliable voice, anchoring a safe point in the midst of the “information storm”. He even has a fan club on Twitter with nearly 42 thousand followers.

For many years, he was famous for his 16-hour workday and his habit of taking advantage of “breaks” by jogging 7 miles (more than 11 km) on his lunch break to maintain his health. However, in recent times, his daily working hours have become even longer.

At age 79, the US government’s leading epidemiologist belongs to a demographic group at high risk of contracting COVID-19. However, he still works day and night for 19 to 20 hours a day. The difference is that the target he and his colleagues are now addressing is no longer HIV/AIDS, the disease they helped turn into a controllable chronic disease, but the heat of the current COVID-19 pandemic in the US.

To read the forthcoming memoir by the country’s former top infectious disease expert, “On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service,” a copy of which was obtained by STAT, is to get a sense of his finesse while advising seven presidents. He strove, he writes, to speak with complete candor and stay out of politics, while remaining strategic in pushing for policies he considered vital to public health.

Buy “On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service,” on Amazon

Reader reviews on Amazon

From Sylvia Hawley:

Dr. Fauci wrote almost all of this himself with some help editing after he got 80 percent written and I wanted to know whether he wrote it mostly because here is one of the great talents of our lifetimes. He’s teaching now at Georgetown U, in medicine and public policy. I think what will be happening there is lots of inspiration, mentoring, friendship, investing in public service and patient care.

The book is going to make you want some variations on Italian food. I found many questions answered that I’ve had about how Dr. Fauci engaged with others in his remarkable career and with some of the main events for him and that he is known for. There is a lot here I did not know and did not have questions about but now appreciate his sharing.

There is a great lot of good emotional health, good psychological health here, the very foundations for fearless honesty, for lifelong friendships, for loving family and friends.

I congratulate the writer on another task well done. I say thank you for your service but even more for taking the time and effort to tell the story. It’s a very fine story indeed.

From Marsha Jean MacDonald

Amazon asked me to edit my review … I suppose because I mentioned my career background or perhaps because I mentioned those who shouldn’t naysay Dr. Fauci. Anyway, it is an excellent book with excellent medical insights of a phenomenal life. The book makes clear that Dr. Fauci was inspired by helping others through biomedical research and science. It is well written with many insights into the Covid pandemic. So this is my edited review, and will see if it is accepted.