Black History Month 2022: Dr. Kizzmekeia S. Corbett

1. Kizzmekia Corbett is an American viral immunologist known for her involvement in the first-stage clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine and for using her expertise to propel novel vaccine development for pandemic preparedness.
2. Dr. Corbett has over 15 years of expertise studying dengue virus, respiratory syncytial virus, influenza virus, and coronaviruses. 
3. Corbett was a summer intern at SUNY Stonybrook Labs where she studied a pathogen called Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, bacteria that causes scarlet fever in humans.
4. Corbett received full scholarship to University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) under the the Meyerhoff Scholars Program. The program at predominantly white institutions is responsible for producing large numbers of African Americans who earn medical and doctoral degrees, including Jerome Adams, the current Surgeon General of the U.S. Corbett received her B.S. in Biological Sciences and Sociology in 2008 from UMBC
5. Corbett joined Harvard following six years at the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIAID NIH) based in Bethesda, Maryland.
6. She earned a PhD in microbiology and immunology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill) in 2014.
7. In 2014, Corbett was the scientific lead of the VRC's Coronavirus Team, with research efforts aimed at propelling novel coronavirus vaccines, including a COVID-19 vaccine.
8. She then enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she obtained her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology in 2014. 
9. Recognizing that the virus was similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, Corbett's team utilized previous knowledge of optimal coronavirus S proteins to tackle the novel coronavirus.
10. Along with her research activities, Dr. Corbett is an active member of the NIH Fellows Committee and an avid advocator of STEM education and vaccine awareness in the community.  
11. She is an Assistant Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Shutzer Assistant Professor at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute since June 2021.
12. To manufacture and test the COVID-19 vaccine Corbett's team partnered with Moderna, a biotechnology company, to rapidly enter animal studies. Subsequently, the vaccine entered Phase 1 clinical trial only 66 days after the virus sequence was released. Corbett stated she cried when the efficacy results showed the mRNA-1273 Moderna vaccine worked.
13. In February 2021, Corbett was highlighted in the Time's "Time100 Next" list under the category of Innovators, with a profile written by Anthony Fauci.

I want to make it clear that the work that we have been doing for so long. I personally stand by it, essentially with all my being.

Kizzmekia Corbett

"To be honest, I didn't realize the level of impact that my visibility might have... I do my work because I love my work

Kizzmekia Corbett

"She cannot be a hidden figure," he said. "She needs to be in textbooks. Little girls need to see her — of all races. This is what's possible."

Dr. Freeman Hrabowski

“History books will celebrate the name and achievements of Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, the Black Woman who was the leader in developing the COVID-19 Vaccine,”

Barbara Arnwine, president and founder of Transformative Justice Coalition

:"Her work will have a substantial impact on ending the worst respiratory-disease pandemic in more than 100 years."   

Anthony Fauci