Sarah Gilbert’s Barbie doll, the scientist who developed the AstraZeneca vaccine | Mattel decided to recognize her along with five other women who stood out in the pandemic

british scientist Sarah gilbert, one of the coronavirus vaccine developers jointly developed by the Anglo-Swedish laboratory AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, will have her own barbie doll. Mattel Inc, the American company dedicated to the manufacture and distribution of toys, decided to recognize her along with five other women who work in technology, engineering and mathematics from different parts of the world.

Who is Sarah Gilbert

Gilbert, the vaccinologist recognized by Mattel who spearheaded the creation of the Oxford-AstraZeneca serum and “rose to prominence” after receiving a standing ovation during a game at Wimbledon. The professor at the University of Oxford said in an interview with the toy company that she is “passionate about inspiring the next generation of girls to careers in science and technology and I hope they realize how vital science careers are in helping the world”.

“It’s a very strange concept to have a Barbie doll made in my image. My wish is for the toy to show them careers they didn’t know about like vaccinology», Indicated the scientist, who donated the money received for the transfer of their image rights to the NGO WISE (Women in Science & Engineering), dedicated to the promotion of science to women.

Six dolls to recognize health workers

Mattel Inc, which features products like Barbie and Hot Wheels, created six designs to recognize the work of health workers who have distinguished themselves in the fight against the pandemic.

In addition to the Gilbert doll, she designed Barbies of illustrious nurses of this pandemic, such as Amy O’Sullivan, Audrey Cruz, Chika Stacy Oriuwa, Jaqueline Goes de Jesus and Kirby White.

Who are the other health workers who will have their Barbie

• Amy O’Sullivan treated the first coronavirus patient in New York City, which also became the city’s first death in March 2020.
• Audrey cruzDuring this time, she is a primary care physician in Las Vegas who has fought against discrimination.
• For its part, Chika Stacy Oriuwa is a resident in Canadian psychiatry at the University of Toronto and has worked against systemic racism in health care.
• Jaqueline Goes de Jesus, a Brazilian biomedical researcher, led the genome sequencing of a variant of COVID-19 in Brazil.
• The Australian doctor Kirby White pioneered the creation of a surgical gown that can be washed and reused by frontline workers during the pandemic.