There may not be a ballpark bobblehead giveaway of your favorite player for quite a while, but
the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum is hoping you’ll make room on your shelf for Dr. Anthony Fauci in the meantime.
The Milwaukee-based company has unveiled plans to create a bobblehead to honor Dr. Fauci, who has become America’s voice of reason as one of the lead members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. The Bobblehead Hall will be donating $5 from every Fauci nodder sold to the American Hospital Association in support of the 100 Million Mask Challenge.
Not surprisingly, it’s the first bobblehead of Dr. Fauci, who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984. Standing on a base bearing his name, the bobblehead features Fauci wearing a suit and illustrating how the nation needs to “flatten the curve.”
While the final version isn’t yet complete, the bobbleheads are now available for pre-order through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store. They are $25 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order and are expected to ship in July.
As head of the NIAID since 1984, the 79-year-old Fauci has advised six presidents. According to The Hill, the renowned immunologist’s credibility within the medical community prompted U.S. senators to request that he become the face of the federal government’s response to the coronavirus – also known as COVID-19. Along with keeping President Trump aware of new developments, Fauci is leading the administration’s efforts to monitor, contain, and mitigate the spread of the virus while making sure the American people have up-to-date health and travel information.
The Brooklyn, New York, native was a central figure on global health issues like HIV/AIDS, Ebola and Zika. He also has made numerous contributions to research and his portfolio at the agency includes the treatment of various immune-mediated and infectious diseases, including respiratory infections, diarrheal diseases, tuberculosis and malaria.
Dr. Fauci has helped to influence decisions on where research should be directed while overseeing an agency with a budget of $5.9 billion. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S., by President George W. Bush in 2008. According to a 2019 analysis of Google Scholar citations, Dr. Fauci ranked as the 41st most highly cited researcher of all time.
“Bobbleheads are the ultimate honor, and we think Dr. Fauci deserves it given what he has done and continues to do for our country and the world in the battle against COVID-19,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “We received a lot of requests for a bobblehead of Dr. Fauci and are excited to be able to use the bobblehead to raise funds for a vital organization that is helping limit the spread of the Coronavirus while making people smile during these unprecedented times.”