2025 Townsend Lecture: Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire

The McCausland College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina is pleased to welcome Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire - who will give a talk about her work in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Corbett-Helaire played a pivotal role in developing the Moderna vaccine, which became one of the first approved vaccines against SARS-CoV-2.

Guests are welcome to join us at 5 p.m. for a pre-reception. The program will begin promptly at 6 p.m. This event is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is suggested.

Biography

Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire, a viral immunologist, is Assistant Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Shutzer Assistant Professor at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute. A native of North Carolina, Dr. Corbett-Helaire received a B.S. in biological sciences and sociology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and a PhD in microbiology and immunology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She joined Harvard following six years as a postdoctoral scientist at the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. There, Dr. Corbett-Helaire carried out research that included development of COVID-19 vaccines.

Dr. Corbett-Helaire used her viral immunology expertise to propel novel vaccine development for pandemic preparedness, including mRNA-1273, a leading vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. The vaccine concept incorporated into mRNA-1273 was designed by Dr. Corbett-Helaire's NIH team from viral sequences and rapidly deployed to industry partner, Moderna, Inc., for Phase 1 clinical trial, which began only 66 days from viral sequence release. mRNA-1273 was shown to be 94.1% effective in a Phase 3 trial and is authorized for use in multiple countries. Alongside mRNA-1273, Dr. Corbett-Helaire has generated a patent portfolio that includes universal coronavirus and influenza vaccine concepts and novel therapeutic antibodies. In all, she has over 15 years of experience studying dengue virus, respiratory syncytial virus, influenza virus, and coronaviruses, garnering several prestigious awards, such as the Benjamin Franklin Next Gen Award and the Salzman Memorial Award in Virology.

Combining her research goals with her knack for mentorship, Dr. Corbett-Helaire invests much of her time in underserved communities as an advocator of STEM education and vaccine awareness. In recognition of her contributions to science and public health, Dr. Corbett-Helaire was highlighted in the Time's "Time100 Next" list under the category of Innovators, with a profile written by Dr. Anthony Fauci.

About the Townsend Lecture

Dr. J. Ives Townsend was a native of Greenwood, South Carolina. In 1996, as Professor Emeritus of Human Genetics at the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, he established an endowment in the University of South Carolina Educational Foundation to fund the Townsend Lectures. The lectures honor his parents (Joel Ives Townsend, 1911, and Emma Chiles Cothran Townsend) and grandparents (Robert Wallace Townsend, who attended the University of South Carolina in 1883-1884, and Amelia Dalton Carter Townsend). Following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and many other relatives, including two great-great-grandfathers who graduated from the institution in the 1820s, Dr. Townsend attended the university and graduated with a B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in Biology in 1941. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Dr. Townsend strongly believed that the sciences, the arts, and the humanities are not separate branches of knowledge, but should be integrated within an academic setting. In addition to being a scientist, he was a connoisseur of Southern art and architecture. Thus, in making his gift to the university, he stipulated that the lectures alternate between two topics: “The Impact of the Biological Sciences on Society” and “Southern Culture”. He cared deeply for students and admitted that his true goal was to make a significant difference in their lives. He often stated: “Today's students deserve all that I am able to give them”.

Dr. Townsend passed away on July 29, 2005, at the age of 85.

Host or Publisher USC, College of Arts and Sciences