WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci was the face of the fight against Covid-19, an omnipresent figure featured on T-shirts, bobbleheads, and yard signs. He was lionized by his fans as a scientific hero and villainized by his opponents as a denier of their freedoms.
But there are no tchotchkes with the likeness of the person who has replaced him at the helm of National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases. In fact, finding more than one photo of Dr. Hugh Auchincloss on the Internet is a challenge.
Auchincloss, 73, a respected transplant surgeon and medical researcher, served for more than 16 years as Fauci’s low-key right-hand man at NIAID, a post he took after a long career at Massachusetts General Hospital. When Fauci retired at the end of last year, the director’s lab coat — and all the political heat that goes with it — went to Auchincloss as he became the agency’s acting head.
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