WITH INFORMATION IS ASKED TO CALL DETROIT POLICE WE’VE ALSO LEARNED THIS EVENING THAT DOCTOR
OH VIDA FULLER HAS DIED. SHE’S
THE INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED
VIROLOGIST FROM ANN ARBOR, WHO
WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN SECURING THE
EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION FOR
THE THREE COVID VACCINES. DR.
FULLER PASSED AWAY YESTERDAY
MORNING AFTER A BRIEF ILLNESS
THAT WAS NOT COVID RELATED. OUR
PAULA TUTMAN JOINS US LIVE WITH
MORE ON THIS WORK OF THIS FIERCE
ADVOCATE FOR SCIENCE, WHO ALSO
SERVED AS A FREQUENT EXPERT FOR
US HERE AT LOCAL 4. YEP THERE
SHE REALLY DID. AND YOU KNOW SHE
WAS ALL ABOUT INFORMATION, AND
HUMANS SOMETIMES HAVE VERY SHORT
MEMORIES. BUT LET ME TAKE YOU
BACK TO THE FALL OF 2020. WHEN A
LOT OF PEOPLE WERE VERY ANXIOUS
ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THERE WOULD
BE A COVID VACCINE ACCESSIBLE OR
EVEN AVAILABLE, AND SHE WAS PART
OF THAT PANEL THAT SOMETIMES
THOSE MEETINGS WOULD LAST EIGHT
HOURS OR SO. BUT VERY OFTEN
AFTER THE MEETING, SHE WOULD
TEXT ME TO GIVE ME THE HITS,
RUNS AND ERRORS SO THAT WE COULD
UNDERSTAND AND ALSO LET YOU KNOW
WHAT YOU COULD EXPECT. THEY’RE
GIANTS WHO WALKED QUIETLY
AMONGST US. THEY WORK ON BEHALF
OF ALL HUMANS ALL OVER THE WORLD
. THEY AFFECT CHANGE THAT
IMPACTS PEOPLE’S LIVES FOR THE
BETTER, AND FEW EVEN KNOW THEIR
NAME OR WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE. AND
THE ONLY REASON WE GOT A BRIEF
GLIMPSE OF DR OVER TO FULLER,
UROLOGIST FOR UNIVERSITY OF
MICHIGAN’S MICHIGAN MEDICINE IS
BECAUSE OF THIS MOMENT IN
HISTORY. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR
LONG TERM EFFECTS? DR FULLER WAS
A MEMBER OF THE FDA ADVISORY
COMMITTEE IN THE EARLY DAYS OF
COMPANIES SEEKING EMERGENCY USE
AUTHORIZATION. FOR COVID
VACCINES. SHE WAS A METICULOUS
QUESTIONING VOICE TO THE
MANUFACTURERS AND WASN’T AFRAID
TO SAY NO. IF SHE DIDN’T GET THE
ANSWERS, SHE DEMANDED. YOU NOTED
THAT YOU HAVE GREATER PAIN OR
THIRD DEGREE PAIN FOR THE SECOND
INJECTION THAN THE FIRST
INJECTION. AND I’VE BEEN
WONDERING ABOUT THESE VACCINES
THAT ESPECIALLY TO THE F PROTEIN
WHERE THEY BOOST US SPECIFIC
IMMUNITY. HER VOTE IS ONE OF THE
REASONS WE HAVE COVID VACCINES
TODAY. BUT HER WORK WENT FAR
BEYOND SCRUTINIZING THE
PROTOCOLS TO APPROVE A VACCINE
FOR NEW VIRUS. SHE WORKED ON
NUMEROUS CONTINENTS, HER EARLY
WORK ON HIV IN AFRICA
UNDOUBTEDLY SAVED LIVES. SHE WAS
AN ORDAINED MINISTER WITH AN
ORGANIZATION TRUSTED MESSENGER,
WHICH CREATED A PATH FOR REAL
AND ACCURATE INFORMATION THAT
LINKED CLERGY WITH SCIENCE. AND
SHE SPOKE TRUTH TO POWER WHEN IT
CAME TO BATTLING THE HEADWINDS
OF MISINFORMATION AND DELIBERATE
DISINFORMATION THAT CLOUDED THE
IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE FOR SOME A
STATEMENT THIS AFTERNOON FROM
MICHIGAN MEDICINE, SHE MADE A
TREMENDOUS IMPACT WITH HER WORK
ADDRESSING HIV AIDS IN AFRICAN
COUNTRIES, HER SCIENTIFIC
ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE FIELD OF
VIROLOGY HAVE UNDOUBTEDLY
REDUCED THE BURDEN OF DISEASE
FOR COUNTLESS PEOPLE, AND SHE
WILL BE REMEMBERED FONDLY BY HER
COLLEAGUES AND STUDENTS BORN AND
RAISED IN NORTH CAROLINA. CHINA,
SHE BATTLED RACISM AND BIAS.
UNDAUNTED SHE MADE CERTAIN THAT
IF SHE WERE THE FIRST BLACK OR
FIRST WOMAN TO ENTER A SPACE,
SHE WOULD NOT BE THE LAST. WHEN
I WENT OFF TO COLLEGE AT
CAROLINA, I REMEMBER MY GODDESS
COUNSELOR SAYING OH, YOU YOU
SHOULDN’T. THAT’S A REALLY,
REALLY HARD SCHOOL. I DON’T KNOW
IF YOU’RE GOING TO DO SO. WELL,
YOU SHOULDN’T EVEN APPLY THERE.
SHE MENTORED FEMALE SCIENTISTS
AND PARTICULARLY FEMALE
SCIENTISTS OF COLOR AND FOR ALL
SHE DID FOR THE WORLD IN THE
FIELD OF VIROLOGY TATI AMARE.
AND MOTHER REIGNS SUPREME. HER
HUSBAND, DR JERRY CALDWELL.
ADULT SON, BRIAN TWIN DAUGHTERS
, NIKKI IN MAYA, NAMED AFTER
AFRICAN AMERICAN POETS, DOCTOR
VITA FULLER’S FOOTPRINTS UPON
THIS EARTH AND FINGERPRINTS LEFT
ON THE WORLD OF MEDICINE NOW
LOST YESTERDAY MORNING BECAUSE
OF A BRIEF ILLNESS. HER DEATH
LEAVES A HOLE IN THE UNIVERSE
FOR PEOPLE WHO MAY NEVER
REALIZED THEY ARE SAFER AND
HEALTHIER. BECAUSE SHE WAS HERE.
AND THAT REALLY IS NOT AN
OVERSTATEMENT AT ALL. SHE WAS A
VERY METICULOUS QUESTIONER. YOU
CAN BET WHEN DR A VETO, FULLER’S
NAME POPPED UP ON THAT SCREEN
FOR BIG FARM, THEY STOOD AT
ATTENTION AND DEFINITELY PAID
ATTENTION. SHE DIED YESTERDAY.
AGED 67. SHE HAD JUST TURNED 67
YEARS OLD AND HER LOSS. IT’S NOT
JUST A LOSS FOR HER FAMILY, BUT
TRULY PRIYA. TRULY FOR THE
WORLD. I WISH YOUR FAMILY PEACE
AND HEALING. PAULA WHAT A
BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE. I RECALL IN
THE EARLY DAYS OF 2020. YOU
WOULD MENTION SPECIFIC QUOTES
FROM DR FULLER DURING OUR
EDITORIAL MEETINGS IN THOSE
EARLY DAYS WHEN WE WERE STILL
LEARNING SO MUCH, JUST WHAT A