Yeah, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is an obvious choice for our Measurement Maven this month. He’s a data geek and a great communicator. Right now he’s the most popular scientist in America, and someone we should all learn from.
Sure, he is every PR person’s ultimate fantasy spokesperson: stays on message, never seems to get rattled, knows the facts, totally authentic, and appears to love talking to the media. He is particularly well-suited to communicating about science and data because he has credibility born of a very long history of knowing his subjects inside out. He has a unique ability to simplify the complex in a way we all, even the younger set, seem to understand. One science journal even accused him of revolutionizing science communications, and I would agree.
But he is especially admired by all of us who have ever had to present data and facts to skeptical bosses, or who have had to navigate the shark-infested waters of tricky office-or-otherwise politics. Remember, he’s been in his job since 1984. That’s a lot of government administrations, flu shots, and anti-vaxers to deal with. So for those of you who have to manage crises that come in a wide variety of formats, he is a role model to admire.
Now, if he could just tell us how this cloning thing works so we could have a lot more of him. Congrats to Dr. Anthony Fauci, our Measurement Maven of the Month!
Bonus! And if you haven’t seen Brad Pitt as Dr. Fauci on Saturday Night Live, here’s your chance:
