The director of the NIAID broke the news Monday with a lengthy statement. He says, in part, "I am announcing today that I will be stepping down from the positions of Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation, as well as the position of Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden."

He adds, "I will be leaving these positions in December of this year to pursue the next chapter of my career." It's unclear what Fauci plans to do next.

Fauci goes on to say what an honor it's been to serve in his role for the past 38 years, not to mention his other 15 years of service at the NIAID before he was a honcho. He's graceful in his statement, writing ... "I have worked with -- and learned from -- countless talented and dedicated people in my own laboratory, at NIAID, at NIH and beyond. To them I express my biding respect and gratitude."

Fauci's career is quite storied ... he has served under multiple presidents, including Lyndon Johnson, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Dubya, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and, of course, JB.

Along the way, Dr. Fauci has helped Americans combat major viruses that have plagued society in the 20th and 21st centuries -- including instrumental research and work in regards to the Ebola and Zika viruses ... not to mention the swine flu pandemic, the bird flu scare and other widespread infectious disease occurrences that hit the world over the decades.

His contributions to HIV/AIDS research can't be overstated ... Fauci was in the trenches in the '80s, and he has said much of his work is defined by that period. Dr. Fauci helped develop treatments -- although the rollout and discussion of it all were heavily criticized at the time.

Frankly, he's been a lightning rod for years now ... often bearing the brunt of widespread outrage and condemnation when it comes to the federal government's response to health-related outbreaks. That was, perhaps, most crystalized of late ... during COVID-19 pandemic.

Many will recall ... Fauci was often battling against his own boss, DT, when it came to discussing the coronavirus -- he wanted people to be cautious and get vaccinated, while Trump usually pushed for the opposite ... making for some heated public clashes.

Still, he stayed the course through it all ... and always maintained his composure. Fauci hasn't always been right from the get-go, but he did always pivot when more information surfaced and updated his recommendations as such. That much nobody can deny.