Title Page & Abstract
An Interview with Colin Corbett
Part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
Tumultuous 2020 Oral History project
Interview # T20-A-L-2022-012
Colin Corbett, professor of economics and Johnson & Johnson vaccine trial participant, was interviewed on the date listed below as part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library’s Tumultuous 2020 Oral History project.
Interview dates & location:
Date: March 4, 2022
Location: Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois
Interview Format: Digital audio
Interviewer: Amanda Riggenbach, project manager, ALPLM
Total Time: 2:06 / 2.10 hrs.
Accessioned into the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Archives on April 15, 2022.
The interview is archived at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois.
© 2021 Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
Abstract
Colin Corbett, Tumultuous 2020, T20-A-L-2022-012
Biographical Information/Overview of Interview: Colin Corbett was born in Sacramento, California, in 1987. He grew up in Portland, Oregon, with his parents and two siblings. Corbett was raised in an involved church community, and he describes the ideals of sacrifice and altruism that he was instilled with from a young age. He graduated from Ida B. Wells High School (formerly Woodrow Wilson High School) in 2006. He attended the University of Rochester in New York and studied economics, math, and music. While always maintaining his interest in music, Corbett decided to pursue a PhD in economics at the University of Oregon. He graduated in 2016 and found a job as an assistant professor at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Since settling in Peoria, Corbett has immersed himself in his newfound church community and the Peoria music scene.
In early 2020, Corbett was beginning to consider becoming involved in vaccine clinical trials. Wishing to have a positive impact on the world, Corbett volunteered for a vaccine trial of the cytomegalovirus, which especially impacts infants. He was unable to join the study because he tested positive for the virus. When the COVID-19 pandemic became prevalent in Illinois in March of 2020, Corbett details the initial shut-down and the way Bradley University responded. He describes teaching online and the way the format drained both he and his students of motivation. It was in July of 2020 that he was contacted by the vaccine research center to participate in a Phase Two Johnson & Johnson vaccine trial. Though initially concerned about the early stage of the trial, Corbett consented and went the next day for COVID-19 testing before being given the vaccine. Corbett outlines throughout the interview his experiences with the early vaccine, his motivation for participation, and the following media attention he received.
Subject Headings/Key Words: COVID-19 vaccine; J&J vaccine; Johnson & Johnson vaccine; clinical vaccine trials; ethics; altruism; economics; Bradley University; Peoria, Illinois;
Notes to the Reader: Readers of the oral history memoir should bear in mind that this is a transcript of the spoken word, and that the interviewer, interviewee and editor sought to preserve the informal, conversational style that is inherent in such historical sources. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is not responsible for the factual accuracy of the memoir, nor for the views expressed therein. We leave these for the reader to judge.
COPYRIGHT
The following material can be used for educational and other non-commercial purposes without the written permission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. “Fair use” criteria of Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976 must be followed. These materials are not to be deposited in other repositories, nor used for resale or commercial purposes without the authorization from the ALPLM.