Throughout these challenging times, among the things that the pandemic has underscored is that the true VIPs and MVPs of our society are far from the celebrities and hyped up public figures we constantly see in the media. The genuine backbone of our society are the everyday individuals, including postal workers, supermarket attendants, teachers, and of course, health care workers, who keep our communities functioning and moving forward. Among the many doctors and healthcare workers to whom we, the general public, owe great thanks to is viral immunologist, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett.

Dr. Corbett is the scientific lead of the Vaccine Research Center’s (VRC) Coronavirus Team. With a vast majority of individuals yearning for a vaccine and a return to everyday living, Dr. Corbett’s dedicated research and studies accelerated the development of the Covid-19 vaccine. Dr. Corbett and her team worked with Moderna to manufacture and test the vaccine they were developing. Months of focused testing and efficacy results showed that the Moderna vaccine works. Almost miraculously, less than a year later, the Moderna vaccine is now among those being administered to stop the spread of Covid-19, end the pandemic and ultimately, save countless lives.

In the words of Dr. Anthony Fauci, “Kizzy is an African American scientist who is right at the forefront of the development of the vaccine.” It’s only right that last month, Time Magazine honored Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett as an innovator in its Time 100 Next list. Her work already has a huge impact and will forever be regarded as among the key developments that helped assuage the once in a century pandemic that we’ve all been battling.

We haven’t even gotten started yet. This is simply an initial peek at a few of today’s most awe-inspiring, headline-making and highly admired black women. Throughout this month, we’ll be highlighting many other incredible black women who are making their own indelible mark.