Photo: Barbie/Instagram
Cover Photo: Barbie/Instagram

Gilbert is one of the six women in the fight against Covid-19 who have been honoured with a Barbie doll in their likeness

British coronavirus vaccine developer Sarah Gilbert has received much praise, respect and accolades for her role as co-creator of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. This week, she added another accomplishment to her belt: a Barbie doll created in her likeness. 

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The Oxford University professor is one of the six influential women in the Covid-19 fight who have new Barbies modelled after them thanks to toymaker Mattel Inc, which decided to recognise them with a line of role model dolls. 

These women include Amy O’Sullivan, an emergency room nurse who treated the first Covid-19 patient and Audrey Cruz, a frontline doctor who fought against discrimination, according to Mattel.

There is also Chika Stacy Oriuwa, a Canadian psychiatry resident who fought against systemic racism in healthcare, Jaqueline Goes de Jesus, who led the sequencing of the genome of a Covid-19 variant in Brazil and Kirby White, an Australian doctor who created a surgical gown that can be washed and reused by frontline workers.

In addition to the dolls, Mattel also made a donation to Gilbert’s nonprofit organization of choice which was WISE (Women in Science & Engineering). WISE is dedicated to inspiring young girls to consider a career in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

“It's a very strange concept having a Barbie doll created in my likeness,” Gilbert said in an interview for Mattel. “I hope it will be part of making it more normal for girls to think about careers in science.”

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