Johannesburg – The doll, Barbie, has been created in the image of Vaccinologist Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert.
The company Mattel says their Barbie Role Models Programme is focussing on those who have an impact in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through this campaign, Gilbert has been honoured for her work creating the Oxford vaccine.
Prof Gilbert is the Saϊd Professor of Vaccinology at the University of Oxford and Project Leader for ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, a vaccine against the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 which is now in use in many countries around the world.
Barbie is also making a donation to Prof Gilbert’s chosen STEM-focused organisation WISE (Women in Science & Engineering) in the UK to support My Skills My Life; an outreach resource created to inspire girls to consider a career in STEM.
It allows girls to explore personality types and matches them with relatable role models who have rewarding and successful careers in STEM, ultimately, opening eyes and minds to endless possibilities in STEM.
“I am passionate about inspiring the next generation of girls into STEM careers and hope that children who see my Barbie will realise how vital careers in science are to help the world around us. My wish is that my doll will show children careers they may not be aware of, like a Vaccinologist,” said the Professor.
Barbie is also recognising five other STEM and healthcare professionals around the world.
Lisa McKnight, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Barbie & Dolls, Mattel said the all-female line-up are experts in their fields, who have shown unprecedented courage and tenacity against the virus and achieved greatness in their chosen careers.
“Barbie recognises that all frontline workers have made tremendous sacrifices when confronting the pandemic and the challenges it heightened,” said. “To shine a light on their efforts, we are sharing their stories and leveraging Barbie’s platform to inspire the next generation to take after these heroes and give back. Our hope is to nurture and ignite the imaginations of children playing out their own storyline as heroes.”
The other global lineup of women honoured with a one-of-a-kind doll are:
● Amy O’Sullivan, RN (United States) – Emergency Room nurse Amy O’Sullivan treated the first COVID-19 patient at the Wycoff Hospital in Brooklyn, NY. O’Sullivan later contracted the disease, and soon after returned to work to continue to help others.
● Dr. Audery Cruz (United States) – Dr. Cruz, a frontline worker from Las Vegas, NV, during the pandemic, joined forces with other Asian-American physicians to fight racial bias and discrimination.
● Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa (Canada)- A psychiatry resident at the University of Toronto, Canada, Dr. Oriuwa has advocated against systemic racism in healthcare, which has been further highlighted by the pandemic.
● Dr. Jaqueline Goes de Jesus (Brazil) – As a biomedical researcher, Dr. Goes is credited for leading the sequencing of the genome of a COVID-19 variant in Brazil.
● Dr. Kirby White (Australia) – As a general practitioner in Australia, Dr. White co-founded Gowns for Doctors, a gown that could be laundered and re-used, allowing frontline workers in Victoria, AU to continue seeing patients during the pandemic.
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