Number of the Day
Med School Applications Are Up 18%, Thanks to ‘the Fauci Effect’
Inspired by medical workers and public health advocates working on the front lines of Covid-19, medical schools are seeing a record number of applications
18%: That’s how much the total number of medical school applicants increased from last year, according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and reported by NPR.
Some medical school admissions officers have dubbed the surge in applications the “Fauci Effect.” It’s a deferential nod to Dr. Anthony Fauci, longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who has emerged as the public face of the coronavirus response and is considered to be one of the most trusted and effective non-partisan public health communicators.
Dr. Fauci, 79, has served under six presidents over the past 36 years and was recently asked by president-elect Biden to serve as his chief medical adviser. He initially shied away from taking too much credit. On hearing the news, the much admired physician and scientist known for working 18-hour days, said he was “very flattered.”
