Dolly Parton Donates $1 Million to Pediatric Infectious Disease Research

Dolly Parton's philanthropic support of infectious disease research continues. The Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville announced the country singer is donating $1 million to pediatric infectious disease research, the latest in a series of gifts Parton has made to the center.

"I love all children. No child should ever have to suffer, and I’m willing to do my part to try and keep as many of them as I can as healthy and safe as possible," Parton said in a statement.

In 2020, Parton made a $1 million gift for COVID vaccine research in honor of her longtime friend, Dr. Naji Abumrad, a professor of surgery at the institution.

"Dolly’s previous support to infectious disease research, and also our pediatric cancer program, has already saved countless lives," Dr. Jeff Balser, president and CEO of Vanderbilt University Medical Center and dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said in a statement. "This new gift will bolster our defenses against future threats to the safety of this region and society as a whole."

When she got her COVID-19 vaccine, she shared the video with "Dolly gets a dose of her own medicine," hinting at her support for funding the research around the vaccine.

Parton even sang an updated version of her song "Jolene" for when she got vaccinated, changing the lyrics to "Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, I'm begging of you please don't hesitate. Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, 'cause once you're dead, then that's a bit too late."

Her friend, Dr. Naji Abumrad, gave her the shot.

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