A single line often inverts meaning once you see what it
answers, so neighbouring messages are always shown.
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Nov. 14, 2008 -- I receive the "FREDDIE Award" for Public Service (known as the Oscars for medical media) from MediMedia at a Philadelphia Gala at the Crystal Tea Room in the old Wannamaker Building. Chris, Megan, Ali, Stewart Simonson, Cliff Lane, Patty Conrad, and her friend Betsy Wilder were there. Big surprise was that Bono made a video that was shown in which he lauded me as a true global hero and one of the most important people in the world over the past many decades. Very flattering and in keeping with how kind Bono has been to me over the years.
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Nov. 18, 2008 -- Received the VIDA Award for Leadership from the National Hispanic Health Alliance at the Willard Hotel in DC.
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Nov. 19, 2008 -- Tom Daschle named as DHHS Secretary. I will soon be approached for NIH Director job. Am struggling with this, but my commitment to HIV/AIDS and Global Health, particularly with the new exciting issues of "treatment as prevention" and the challenges of an AIDS vaccine , not to mention malaria and TB keep me engrossed in what I am doing.
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Nov. 20, 2008 -- NIAID sponsors the Annual Kinyoun Lecture. This year's speaker was Ralph Steinman who won the Basic Medical Research Lasker Award in 2007 at the time that I won the Lasker Public Service Award.
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2008-11-20 00:00
Anthony S. Fauci
Nov. 20, 2008 -- See below -- soon to appear in US News and World Report America's Best Leaders: Anthony Fauci, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
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Nov. 21, 2008 - Went to dinner party at Ellen and Gerry Sigal's home. Present were Chris Grady, Ellen, Gerry, Richard and Donna Benveniste, Bill and Melody Wilson, Larry and Carla Silverstein, Neera Tanden and husband Dan. Neera is on the Obama transition team and I am sure that Ellen in her quest to get me to become NIH Director set this up for us to meet. I am very reluctant to take the job and soon I will likely have to tell the Obama people "no" if they ask. Prior to the Sigal dinner party I gave remarks at the opening reception for the TAG Workshop on Eliminating Viral Persistence and Eradicating HIV infection. This is becoming a very hot issue that I have been pushing in the sense of a "functional" cure.
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Nov. 22, 2008 - Was invited by former President George H.W. Bush to attend the christening of the new aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush at Norfolk , VA on Jan. 10, 2009. Nov.24, 2008 - Breakfast and panel discussion at the National Press Club in association with my (and others) receiving the recognition of America's Best Leaders 2008 (24 Leaders Who are Making a Difference) by U.S. News & World Report and the Center for Public Leadership of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. David Gergon MC'd the affair and C-SPAN-2 covered it. We also all appeared in the
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Nov. 25, 2008 - Received a call from Aaron Pickrell who is running the Obama transition team for HHS and sub-agencies. He said that my name is actively being discussed for NIH director and he wanted to know if I was interested. I was frank and honest with him saying that I wanted to remain as NIAID Director, but I want to be part of the Obama team and perhaps we could work out something informal (without title) or more formal (?Special Assistant or Special Advisor to the POTUS) for issues on Global AIDS, Emerging infections, and Biodefense. He said that he would run this up the ladder and see how people react. My real desire is to stay where I am but to be called upon as I have been for 20+ years on issues mentioned above. I do not want to give up my solid base of scientific credibility. I hear that Francis Collins is aggressively campaigning for the job of NIH Director - not surprising.
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Nov. 29, 2008 - Had brunch with small group of people at Richard and Donna BenVeniste's house. He is a great guy with whom Chris and I have developed a nice friendship. He asked about the NIH Director job and suggested without my implying that I should tell the Obama people that I want to do both NIAID Director and NIH Director. This is what I agreed upon with Tommy Thompson 6 years ago, but the WH (Clay Johnson) blocked it and said that I could take one or the other. I picked NIAID Director. I actually do not think that doing both jobs would work, mainly because people would jump on the "appearance" of conflict every time that I made a decision that they did not like or if their grant did not get funded, and on and on. Also at the brunch was Carl Feldbaum, the IG of the DoD during the Carter Administration and his son Harley who is at Hopkins School of Public Health and is very interested in "Health Diplomacy". He has been an admirer of mine for years as a student. I hope to help him and perhaps advise him on career choices.