Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s highly regarded infectious disease expert who has served under seven presidents, said Monday that he will step down from his post in December

Fauci, who shot to fame during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, wants to pursue the “next chapter” of his career.

“I am announcing today that I will be stepping down from the positions of Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation, as well as the position of Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden,”

Fauci said in a statement.

He emerged as a household name at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020.

His face became well-known, appearing at daily White House briefings to deliver sober updates about the deadly spread of the coronavirus.

That role boosted rivalry with former President Donald Trump, who went to great lengths to downplay the severity of the crisis.

Many other Republicans criticised Fauci for pushing strict mitigation measures and accused him of trying to harm Trump politically.

In a statement coinciding with Fauci’s own announcement on Monday, the president thanked Fauci for his years of government service.

Biden called him a “dedicated public servant, and a steady hand with wisdom and insight honed over decades at the forefront of some of our most dangerous and challenging public health crises.”

“Because of Dr. Fauci’s many contributions to public health, lives here in the United States and around the world have been saved,”

biden says on fauci.

“As he leaves his position in the U.S. Government, I know the American people and the entire world will continue to benefit from Dr. Fauci’s expertise in whatever he does next.”

Fauci said he is not retiring, and instead plans to “pursue the next phase of my career while I still have so much energy and passion for my field.”

“My time is running out. I’m 81 years old,” Fauci said in an interview with an Australian radio station.

He said that by 2024, “it is unlikely that I will still be at this job no matter who gets to be president of the United States.” 

Over the coming months, Fauci will help prepare the Institute for a leadership transition.

“NIH is served by some of the most talented scientists in the world, and I have no doubt that I am leaving this work in very capable hands,”