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Jazz 91.9 WCLK | Membership Matters

Who's Making Black History Today: Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett

Jazz 91.9 WCLK | By Fonda Smith
Published February 14, 2024 at 11:30 AM EST
Dr Kizzmeikia Corbett-Hellaire
Dr. Kizzmeikia Corbett-Hellaire
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Wilkins Management Inc.
Dr Kizzmeikia Corbett-Hellaire

The Moderna vaccine was developed by a team of scientists led by Dr. Barney Graham and his close colleague, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett. Corbett is an African American female scientist who was an expert on the front lines of the Global race for a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Corbett is part of a team at NIH that worked with Moderna, the pharmaceutical company that developed one of the two mRNA vaccines . The Moderna vaccine has 94 to 95% ability to produce positive results in protecting individuals against the coronavirus.
Before Corbett took on one of the most challenging tasks of her professional career, as a student, she was selected to participate in Project SEED, a program for gifted minority students that allowed her to study chemistry in labs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and She eventually landed a full ride to the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Corbett spent her summers at laboratories and earned a summer internship at the NIH, the very place where she would be instrumental in developing a vaccine for the coronavirus. Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett will go down in history as one of the key players in developing the science that helped end the pandemic.
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Dr. Kizzmekia CorbettBlack History MonthModernaCOVID19 VACCINEAtlanta's Jazz Station 91.9 WCLKJazz 91.9 WCLK
Fonda Smith
Fonda Smith is a radio and television veteran who has worked in the Broadcasting field since 1978. She has been a News and Traffic reporter for WCLK 91.9 since 2000. Over the years Fonda has worked with CAU students training them in News/Traffic and has been a guiding light for emerging journalism majors in the television and radio industry. She has worked in the Atlanta market in radio and television since 1988. Fonda is originally from Lima, Ohio where she started her Broadcasting career. Ms. Smith was the first African American radio News/anchor in her hometown of Lima, Ohio. She received her B.S. in Journalism from Bowling Green State University and associate degree from Ohio State University Lima campus. Fonda worked in several markets as a television news anchor, tv reporter, on-air personality as well as Community Television program host at WVEU-TV 69. Ms. Smith was Assistant Director of Operations for Metro Networks and Assistant Director of Operations for Total Traffic under the Clear Channel Banner. Fonda Smith is a fierce advocate for victims of domestic violence and people experiencing homelessness.
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