Hillsborough proclaims Jan. 12, 2021, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett Day

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. -- The Hillsborough Board of Commissioners honored Dr. Kizzmekia "Kizzy" Corbett - a noted scientist from Hillsborough who helped develop the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine - with a proclamation Monday at its online meeting.

Corbett called the honor "absolutely amazing."

After the reading of the proclamation, Corbett thanked the board for the honor and urged everyone to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible.

"It is absolutely amazing to be recognized by my hometown," she said.

Corbett was was born in Hurdle Mills and raised in Hillsborough. She attended Stanback Middle School and graduated from Orange High School. She went on to earn Bachelor of Science degrees in biological sciences and sociology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and in 2014 received a doctorate in microbiology and immunology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Hillsborough Mayor Jenn Weaver, who read the proclamation declaring Jan. 12, 2021, Dr. Kizzmekia "Kizzy" Corbett Day, told Corbett that many in Hillsborough have expressed appreciation for her COVID-19 vaccine work.

"The town of Hillsborough has been extremely excited about your participation in developing one of our vaccines to get us past this pandemic," Weaver said. "There are so many people in this community cheering you on and proud of you."

Corbett and her team at the National Institutes of Health partnered with Moderna as part of the federal government's Operation Warp Speed to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 in record time and was recognized by President Donald Trump and the Coronavirus Task Force.

"I am honored to be recognized by my hometown for my work on COVID-19 vaccine development," Corbett wrote in a statement before the meeting. "It goes without saying that my roots in Hillsborough, North Carolina, play an important role in the scientist I have become. This is an honor that I will hold dear for a lifetime."