Dr. Anthony S. Fauci

I made the decision that we would have to switch over to research on this disease [AIDS] because, as every month went by, I became more convinced that we were dealing with something that was going to be a disaster for society. In fact, I wrote an editorial in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 1982 making a prediction that this was not something that was going to stay confined to a small group. I discussed it with people like [Dr.] John Gallin, one of my close friends and colleagues, and told him that people might think that I was a little strange switching my laboratory over to the study of a new and strange disease–this is the end of 1981, the beginning of 1982–but it was clear to me that this disease would turn out to be a major public health problem.

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