Global Leadership Dialogue Series: Black Women in Health
On Tuesday, September 7, The Howard University Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership was able to host its first official event. The Center held the first of its Global Leadership Dialogue Series, an initiative intended to highlight Black women in leadership globally. This first installment was a fireside chat with Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, with whom the Center is very grateful to have the opportunity to host and speak with her. The event took place online and was hosted by the Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership. Dr. Corbett is a viral immunologist whose team designed the vaccine concept incorporated in the mRNA-1273 Moderna vaccine. She is also a research fellow and a scientific lead of the Coronavirus Vaccines & Immunopathogenesis Team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a part of the Vaccine Research Center (VRC). As a Black woman in the health sciences field, Dr. Corbett was able to explain how her experiences has brought her to where she is today, the power of community within the health field, and the intersection of the pandemic and the Black community.
The Center’s Dr. J. Jarpa Duwani led the welcome and introduction to the event. Howard University’s Dr. Anthony Wutoh provided the provost remarks and Howard University student Lauren Moore introduced Dr. Corbett. Dr. Celia Maxwell, Associate Dean of the Howard University College of Medicine served as the moderator for the event and closed out the discussion.
In conversation with Dr. Corbett, the Center was able to hear from her about her source of motivation, to which she replied, “Motivation should come from what we like to get out of bed to do”, which for her is science. In her field, she believes that for black women, the biggest source of support in such competitive careers comes from other black women. Along with taking care of her mental health and carving out time to set boundaries - the importance of saying “no” - she was able to accomplish much of her achievements through believing in her work and leading with it. She said her breakthrough research is a product of support from mentors, peers, and a work-life balance, all factors that are important for black women in such a competitive career.
On the topic of vaccine inquisitiveness, Dr. Corbett said that from a place of privilege, she understands many of the concerns Black and other marginalized communities have towards the vaccine. As the pandemic continues to rage, Corbett reminded the audience that historical trauma is the root of a lot of vaccine inquisitiveness for several marginalized demographics. Time, patience, and open ears are necessary for improving the vaccine rates within our communities.
The discussion with Dr. Corbett shed a lot of light on her career and the challenges she faced in her field. As we begin to make public health more contemporary, we have to keep in mind the many different factors facing us in times of pandemic. We thank Dr. Corbett for her time and welcome her as a continuing voice for Black women leadership for the Center. We look forward to many more discussions with Black women leaders for this series and the insight it will provide towards diversity within leadership positions. The Center is thankful for all the participants of the programs and those who attended as we were able to highlight Dr. Corbett as a Black woman in leadership and the significance of Black women within the health field.