Credit: Upper Dublin Library.
The Upper Dublin Library will welcome Dr. Katalin Karikó, co-recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for a thought-provoking, and personal conversation about her groundbreaking career in science on Saturday, April 26 at 2 p.m.
Dr. Karikó will be joined in conversation by Peter Loftus, journalist for The Wall Street Journal and author of The Messenger: Moderna, the Vaccine, and the Business Gamble That Changed the World.
The Upper Dublin Library Auditorium holds about 200 people and the event has sold out. However, there is currently a wait list that you can be put on by emailing Lauren at lsmyth@mclinc.org.
"We started a wait list," said Upper Dublin Library Director Cheri Fiory. "We had more than 100 people quickly sign up right away when we put out the announcement. People are extremely excited.
The League of Women Voters have helped bring the guest speaker program to the UD Library and this installment marks another high-profile, accomplished speaker.
"We are the co host with League of Women Voters – they have brought this program to our library – we are delighted to partner," said Fiory. "We have some fantastic presenters, and we do a lot of NY Times Best Seller author speakers."
Dr. Karikó’s work revolutionized the field of biochemistry and altered the course of global health. Her decades of research into messenger RNA (mRNA) eventually became the foundation for the development of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines by BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna. These vaccines have been instrumental in saving millions of lives worldwide and have opened new frontiers in immunology, cancer treatment, and genetic medicine.
In this rare public appearance, Dr. Karikó will discuss her newly published memoir, Breaking Through: My Life in Science, in which she recounts her journey from a small town in Hungary to the forefront of scientific innovation. She reflects on the many challenges she faced along the way—financial struggles, professional setbacks, gender bias in the scientific community—and how perseverance and belief in her work eventually led to one of the most significant medical breakthroughs of the 21st century.
This is an excellent opportunity, whether you are a student, scientist, health professional, or simply someone inspired by stories of determination and impact.
"We are hearing from people from diff generations, they are clearly very excited," said Fiory.
