April 7, 2021
Media Contact:
Deidre McCabe, Director, Office of Communications, 410-767-3536
Charles Gischlar, Deputy Director, Office of Communications, 410-767-6491
Maryland Department of Health names Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett as new Ambassador for GoVAX campaign
Baltimore, MD – The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) today expanded Maryland’s GoVAX campaign, launching new public service announcements featuring Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett. Dr. Corbett—a University of Maryland, Baltimore County graduate—is the scientific lead for the Coronavirus Vaccines and Immunopathogenesis Team at the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Vaccine Research Center.
“Dr. Corbett was on the cutting edge of the creation of the COVID-19 vaccine; we are honored to have her join our GoVAX campaign,” said MDH Secretary Dennis R. Schrader. “Sharing her experience and expertise about vaccine development helps instill vaccine confidence, especially as we open eligibility to all Marylanders age sixteen and older.”
“No part of the clinical trial trajectory of this vaccine’s safety and effectiveness was compromised,” said Dr. Corbett. “We are eliciting really, really good and high-level immunity, and we’re hopeful for the long-lasting effects of that immunity.”
Dr. Corbett completed undergraduate studies in biological sciences and sociology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County before obtaining her Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She joins Maryland’s growing list of GoVAX Ambassadors, including:
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Governor Larry Hogan and First Lady Yumi Hogan
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Lt. Governor Boyd K. Rutherford
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20th U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams
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UMBC President Dr. Freeman Hrabowski and Retired Vice President of T. Rowe Price Jacqueline C. Hrabowski
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Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk
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Bishop Walter Scott Thomas of New Psalmist Baptist Church
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Rev. Matthew Watley and Shawna Watley of Kingdom Fellowship AME Church
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Dr. Kathleen Page, Associate Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
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Brigadier General Janeen Birckhead, Maryland National Guard and head of the Maryland Vaccine Equity Task Force
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Coach Juan Dixon, Coppin State University Men’s Basketball Coach
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Maryland State Senator Melony G. Griffith
Dr. Corbett’s public service announcement is now airing statewide on television and will soon debut on social media, with a longer-format video interview to be added at covidLINK.maryland.gov. MDH will continue to add GoVAX Ambassadors throughout the campaign to encourage all Marylanders to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
To date, Maryland has administered more than 3,116,120 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, contributing to more than 1,185,744 Marylanders being fully vaccinated statewide.
For more information about COVID-19 vaccines in Maryland—including GoVAX campaign media, vaccine resources, fact sheets and FAQs—visit covidLINK.maryland.gov.
For the most recent Maryland COVID-19 vaccine data, visit coronavirus.maryland.gov.
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The Maryland Department of Health is dedicated to protecting and improving the health and safety of all Marylanders through disease prevention, access to care, quality management and community engagement.
