Lifestyle
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett: Leading COVID-19 Expert Who ‘Invented’ the Vaccine
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett’s tireless work and research in developing a COVID-19 vaccine is saving millions of lives. Here are 5 things to know about the young, talented scientist.
She’s a pioneer in new vaccine technology and one of the people attempting to bring coronavirus to a halt. Now, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett will bring her talents to Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health as an assistant professor in Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases. Here’s what else you need to know about Dr. Corbett:
1. She’s A Research Fellow At The NIAID Vaccine Research Center
Corbett has worked at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (part of the National Institute of Health) as a researcher for six years. She’s met with leaders in the health industry and world leaders, including current President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. At the very onset of the pandemic in the United States, she was already in the lab working on a vaccine solution. Now, she’ll head the Coronaviruses & Other Relevant Emerging Infectious Diseases (CoreID) Lab at Harvard to continue that significant work.
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett chats with President Joe Biden at the NIH, 2/11/21 (Evan Vucci/AP/Shutterstock)
2. Her Research Helped Develop The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine
It’s not just Dolly Parton we should thank for the Moderna jab. On March 3, 2020, just 122 Americans had tested positive for COVID-19. Thirteen days later, Corbett and her team had already begun stage one clinical trials for a vaccine. It was the fastest progress a scientist had ever made toward a possible vaccine.
3. She’s Earned Praise From Dr. Fauci
Dr. Anthony Fauci was asked during a December 2020 forum by the National Urban League about the input Black scientists had on developing the coronavirus vaccine. He immediately praised Corbett’s tireless work. “”The very vaccine that’s one of the two that has absolutely exquisite levels — 94 to 95% efficacy against clinical disease and almost 100% efficacy against serious disease that are shown to be clearly safe — that vaccine was actually developed in my institute’s vaccine research center by a team of scientists led by Dr. Barney Graham and his close colleague, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, or Kizzy Corbett,” Fauci told the forum.
“Kizzy is an African American scientist who is right at the forefront of the development of the vaccine,” he continued. “So, the first thing you might want to say to my African American brothers and sisters is that the vaccine that you’re going to be taking was developed by an African American woman. And that is just a fact.”
4. She’s Fighting Against Vaccine ‘Hesitancy’
Now that the three coronavirus vaccines are here and available to most Americans, Corbett is now trying to persuade hesitant adults to actually get the jab. A recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that 61% of unvaccinated Americans don’t plan on getting the shot. Corbett told AP that she understands why some are scared.
While the speedy development of the vaccines is “historic and it is brag-worthy,” she says, “we really should have started the conversations very early about what went into it. [There] are things that even I can’t even answer. But what I can say is that we’re doing everything we can to make sure we can answer it as soon as possible.”
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett shows her research to Dr. Anthony Fauci and then-President Donald Trump, 3/3/20 (Evan Vucci/AP/Shutterstock)
5. She Wants Other Women To Follow Her Lead
Corbett told Black Enterprise that she tries to stay true to herself, separate from her work. And that’s important for other women to do, no matter their industry. “I am Christian. I’m black. I am Southern, I’m an empath. I’m feisty, sassy, and fashionable. That’s kind of how I describe myself. I would say that my role as a scientist is really about my passion and purpose for the world and for giving back to the world,” Corbett said.
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Lifestyle
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
In the suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Emilio Garcia said that after a night out in 2022 in Ibiza, Spain, he was in an SUV with the hip-hop star when she began having sex with another woman right next to him. He was unable to get out of the moving car, and would have been in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country even if he was able. Garcia was “embarrassed, mortified and offended throughout the whole ordeal,” according to the lawsuit.
Alex Spiro, Megan’s lawyer, said she would fight the lawsuit in court.
“This is an employment claim for money — with no sexual harassment claim filed and with salacious accusations to attempt to embarrass her,” Spiro said.
The next day Megan told Garcia never to discuss what he saw and berated and fat-shamed him, the lawsuit said. The complaint also said Garcia, who had already considered quitting because he was overworked and underpaid in a hostile work environment aggravated by Megan’s possessiveness and abusiveness, was misclassified as an independent contractor but treated as an exclusive employee.
Garcia raised those issues in the conversation with Megan, and was fired the following day after four years of working for her, the suit said. He has since filed a job discrimination complaint with the California Civil Rights Department.
The lawsuit, first reported by NBC News, names as defendants Megan, whose legal name is Megan Pete; her companies Megan Thee Stallion Entertainment and Hot Girl Touring; and her label, Roc Nation. A defense response has yet to be filed. There was no immediate response to an email seeking comment from a representative of Roc Nation.
Garcia is seeking financial damages to be determined at trial, alleging he has suffered severely both emotionally and physically because of his treatment on the job, the firing and having to witness the scene in the SUV.
Megan, 29, was previously involved in major legal drama — and underwent a torrent of online abuse — as the victim of a shooting by rapper Tory Lanez, who a jury found fired at her feet on a street in the Hollywood Hills in 2020. She testified at the trial where jurors convicted Lanez of three felonies and a judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
Already a major rising artist at the time of the shooting, Megan has since become one of hip-hop’s biggest stars. She won a Grammy for best new artist in 2021, and she had No. 1 singles with “Savage,” featuring Beyoncé, and as a guest on Cardi B’s “WAP.”
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April 15 (UPI) — The body of O.J. Simpson, who died last week at the age of 76, is to be cremated, a lawyer representing the ex-football superstar’s estate said, adding his brain will not be donated for research.
Malcolm LaVergne, Simpson’s longtime attorney and executor, told the New York Post that his client’s body is to be cremated Tuesday in Las Vegas.
He said Simpson’s family also gave a “hard no” to scientists seeking to examine the former running back’s brain for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is better known as CTE.
CTE is a rare and little understood brain disorder that is likely caused by repeated blows to the head. According to the Mayo Clinic, CTE results in the death of nerve cells in the brain and the only way to definitively diagnose it is with an autopsy of the organ after death.
Memory and thinking problems, confusion, personality changes and erratic behavior, including aggression, depression and suicidal ideation, are among CTE’s symptoms, the Alzheimer’s Association said.
The disease has been found in those who play contact sports, including football and hockey.
LaVergne confirmed to NBC News on Sunday that at least one person has called seeking Simpson’s brain.
“His entire body, including his brain, will be cremated,” he said.
Simpson died Wednesday following a battle with cancer.
Known by the nickname “The Juice,” Simpson was a NFL superstar during the 1970s, which made him a household name that propelled him into film and television during the next decade.
But his stardom would come crashing down in the mid-1990s when he was accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.
His high-profile trial lasted months, but ended with his acquittal.
In 2008, he was found guilty on a dozen charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery, and was paroled in 2017 after serving nine years of his 33-year sentence.
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Urban South Brewery Houston will host its upcoming Anniversary Party from Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 7, in the HTX Taproom, starting at 11 AM, celebrating four years of crafting exceptional brews and fostering community culture. This milestone event will be an exciting day featuring live music, food, activities, and a vendor market.
Beer enthusiasts are also in for a treat with the release of four exclusive anniversary specialty beers. Highlights include “Press Start,” a crafted Czech Pale Lager brewed in collaboration with Parleaux Beer Lab. Additionally, beer fans can indulge in “Level Up,” an Old-Fashioned Cocktail Sour Ale infused with orange peel, Luxardo cherry syrup, and subtle bourbon barrel notes. The offerings continue with “High Score,” a robust Double IPA bursting with flavors of Mosaic, Citra, and Chinook hops, and “Game Over,” a decadent Neapolitan Ice Cream Stout layered with strawberry fruit, Tahitian vanilla bean, and milk chocolate.
To make the celebration even more memorable, fans can pre-order an Exclusive 8-Bit Beer Box featuring the four-anniversary specialty beers (Press Start, Level Up, High Score, Game Over), a 16oz can-shaped Silipint with discounted refills, and 2 tokens redeemable for draft beer.
The Anniversary Party is open to the public, welcoming families and furry friends. Urban South Brewery invites everyone to join in the festivities and toast to four years of brewing excellence.
For more information on Urban South’s Anniversary Celebration, follow the Houston taproom on Instagram and Facebook.
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