Country music legend Dolly Parton donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to help fund coronavirus research, a contribution that helped fund Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, according to reports from 6abc.com. Parton’s financial backing provided early support during the onset of the pandemic, with her name appearing in the vaccine’s preliminary reports alongside sponsors like the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, headed by Dr. Anthony Fauci, and Emory University, as reported by 6abc.com.
Dolly Parton’s $1 Million Vanderbilt Donation and Vaccine Development
According to reports from 6abc.com, Dolly Parton made her $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University in Nashville in April 2020, less than a month after COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic. The country singer initially directed the funds to honor her friend and Vanderbilt professor of surgery, Dr. Naji Abumrad, establishing a coronavirus research fund.
More than seven months later, records revealed that Parton’s financial contribution helped sponsor the research behind Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. Parton’s name appeared in the vaccine’s preliminary reports alongside primary backers like the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, headed by Dr. Anthony Fauci, and Emory University, as reported by 6abc.com.
Moderna Vaccine Efficacy and Early Rollout Data
At the time of the research backing, early data released by Moderna indicated that its vaccine was 94.5% effective against the coronavirus, according to 6abc.com. Dr. Anthony Fauci noted that initial vaccinations would begin as early as late December, prioritizing high-risk populations such as health care workers, older adults, and individuals with underlying medical conditions.
When Parton initially contributed her funds in the spring of 2020, the United States recorded just over 200,000 total COVID-19 cases. By the time vaccine efficacy data was published that November, US infections had surpassed 11.2 million, with nearly 250,000 reported deaths, according to figures cited by 6abc.com.
Parton Reflects on Her Role in the Pandemic Response
Speaking with the UK’s Absolute Radio, as reported by TODAY, Parton reflected on the contribution by stating, “When the pandemic came out I just felt kind of led to do something because I knew something bad was on the rise, and I just wanted to kind of help with that.”
“Mine was a small part, of course. I probably get a lot more credit than I deserve, but I was happy to be part of that and to be able to try to stop something in its tracks that’s really become such a monster for all of us,” Parton told Absolute Radio, according to TODAY.
Parton subsequently received her own Moderna vaccine in March 2021, sharing a video of the procedure on social media with the caption, “Dolly gets a taste of her own medicine,” as detailed by TODAY. She later advocated for public vaccination efforts and adjusted her touring schedule in response to the spread of viral variants.