It was revealed that back in April, Dolly Parton donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to create the Dolly Parton COVID-19 Research Fund, to help the search for a cure or vaccine for the virus. That money partially funded pharmaceutical company Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine research, currently a leading candidate in the search for a viable vaccine. Moderna released data showing that its vaccine is 94.5 percent effective in preliminary trials, and social media users noted that Moderna’s data cited the Dolly Parton COVID-19 Research Fund as one of its supporters.
Parton shared on Instagram back in April that she was donating money to Vanderbilt University because her “longtime friend,” professor of surgery Dr. Naji Abumrad, was working on COVID-19 research. She added, "I am making a donation of $1 million to Vanderbilt towards that research," she continued, urging others out there who "can afford it" to make donations as well.
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