Dr. Drew Weissman at the University of Pennsylvania isn’t one to seek the spotlight. But as one of the two key researchers behind the science used to develop the first COVID-19 vaccines, his name has leapt into public view as of late 2020. Self-described as “just a basic scientist‚” Weissman is a modest man who has spent his lifetime devoted to research. He also happens to be living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) for more than 50 years, spanning the 2 decades that he and his colleagues have spent digging into the vaccine-related research that’s become so critical to public health at the moment.
