2021

1. COVID-19 pill highlights Emory’s extensive record of drug discovery

For decades, Emory has been at the forefront of discovering treatments for diseases of global concern. In the 1990s, it was HIV. Then, cancer and hemophilia. Today, it’s COVID-19.

When the pandemic began, Emory scientists led by George Painter (above), shifted the focus of their broad-spectrum antiviral drug, EIDD-2801, which was initially developed against other viruses such as equine encephalitis and influenza.

Now known as molnupiravir, the drug can be provided as a pill in an outpatient setting, which could facilitate distribution. Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics developed molnupiravir after licensing it from Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory (DRIVE). 

Merck’s Emergency Use Authorization application for molnupiravir is pending with the Food & Drug Administration, after members of the FDA’s Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee voted 13-10 on Nov. 30 in favor of the treatment, which is proposed for use with adult patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at risk for severe disease or hospitalization.

News about molnupiravir spanned the year. Look back on some of these milestones:

• March 17: Drug launched at Emory reduces virus that causes COVID-19 to undetectable levels
• Oct. 1: EUA application submitted for COVID-19 antiviral discovered at Emory
• Dec. 3: FDA panel advances COVID-19 antiviral discovered at Emory

Learn more about George Painter and Drug Discovery at Emory.

3. President Biden addresses the nation from Emory's campus

Emory hosted President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on March 19. The president and vice president were in Atlanta to attend a series of meetings, including a visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a conversation with leaders in the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

Emory hosted the meeting with community leaders, which addressed hate and violence against Asians and Asian Americans in the wake of the March 16 shootings at three Atlanta-area spas. After the meeting, Harris and Biden spoke to the nation from Emory’s Convocation Hall.

“The conversation we had today with the AAPI leaders, and that we’re hearing all across the country, is that hate and violence often hide in plain sight. And it’s often met with silence,” Biden said. “That’s been true throughout our history, but that has to change — because our silence is complicity. We cannot be complicit. We have to speak out. We have to act.”

The visit was not the only time actions from President Biden made headlines for Emory:

On Jan. 20, Jason Zgonc — a sixth grader who sought to bring “happiness and hope” to health care workers by playing his trumpet outside Emory Decatur Hospital — was featured as part of Biden’s inauguration.

During summer 2020, Zgonc shared his talent playing the trumpet to thank hospital staff impacted by the pandemic. For 100 days, except during stormy or severe weather, the 12-year-old performed outside of the hospital. For the inauguration, Zgonc was the first “hero next door” featured in the Parade Across America.

In July, Emory historian Deborah E. Lipstadt was nominated by Biden to serve as Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, a position in the U.S. Department of State with the rank of ambassador.

Described by the White House as “a renowned scholar of the Holocaust and modern antisemitism,” Lipstadt is Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies in Emory’s Tam Institute for Jewish Studies and the Department of Religion. Her nomination must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

5. Emory athletes earn medals in Olympics and Paralympics

The Emory community joined the world in cheering on Team USA in the Olympics and Paralympics, with extra excitement for two Emory athletes.

Andrew Wilson 17C was not a swimming standout when he arrived at Emory — in fact, he barely made the varsity swim team. But Wilson thrived both athletically and academically at Emory, becoming the university’s most decorated swimmer ever and graduating with honors with a double major in physics and applied math.

And in July, he did what no other NCAA Division III swimmer ever has: competed for Team USA in the Olympic Games.

Wilson came home from Tokyo with a gold medal for the men's 4x100 medley relay, for which he swam breaststroke in the qualifying heat. He also placed sixth in the 100-meter breaststroke.

As summer wound down, professor Cassie Mitchell made her third trip to the elite Paralympic Games.

A researcher and assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, Mitchell brought home a silver medal in the F51 club throw from the Tokyo games, adding to her collection of Paralympic achievements.

Since an autoimmune disease left her paralyzed, Mitchell has thrown herself into wheelchair sports, shifting from cycling to track and now throwing. Before the Rio Games in 2016, she was diagnosed with leukemia yet brought home two medals — one silver and one bronze.

6. Welcoming the Class of 2025, drawn from the largest applicant pool in university history

With abundant smiles and overflowing excitement, Emory’s new first-year students arrived on campus in Atlanta and Oxford in August, signaling the university’s commitment to a full return to in-person learning. 

The 2,100 members of the Class of 2025 were selected from the largest and most diverse applicant pool in Emory’s history. A record setting 33,780 undergraduate applications were submitted this year, up 18% from the previous year and up 67% from five years ago.

The class represents students from some 49 U.S. states, plus Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam and the U.S. Mariana Islands. They also hail from 45 other nations, from Argentina to Australia, the Netherlands to Nigeria.  International students make up almost 18% of the first-year class at Emory College and 17% of the first-year class at Oxford College.

More students than ever are the first in their families to attend college: first-generation students make up 13.4% of Emory College first-years and 11% of Oxford College first-years.

10. Students overcome obstacles — and help others do the same

Emory’s mission focuses on “knowledge in the service of humanity,” and throughout 2021, students took that mission to heart.

Meet just a few of the students whose stories inspired us this year:

• Muskaan Vohra (above) felt isolated by the physical distancing required to live on campus as a first-year student in Oxford College during the fall 2020 semester, so she reached out to organize peer-to-peer connections this year — one of many ways students help support each other’s mental well-being.
• As a child, Alex Revelle recorded church services for members who couldn’t leave their homes. Decades later, that knowledge proved invaluable as the master’s of divinity student, who graduated in May, helped Candler School of Theology stay connected during the pandemic.
• Emory Law student Suman Malempati, who also graduated in May, left his career as a pediatric oncologist, researcher and associate professor of pediatrics to train as a social justice lawyer because he could “no longer be an observer.”
• Led by MBA student Willie Sullivan, another 2021 graduate, the Goizueta Business School created the John R. Lewis Racial Justice Case Competition to examine how companies can address racial injustice. The first competition took place Jan. 21; in December, semi-finalists for the 2022 competition were announced.
• While having their own lives disrupted by the pandemic, undergraduate and graduate students alike signed up to be Faith in the Vaccine Ambassadors, helping diverse communities across Atlanta overcome vaccine hesitancy.

FUTURE FOCUS: 2O36 campaign builds toward Emory’s bicentennial

“The future starts now. The future starts with you.” These words from President Gregory L. Fenves resonated across the Quad on Oct. 26 as the campus community gathered for the public launch of the 2O36 campaign.

During his speech, Fenves encouraged the entire community to think about their role in shaping the future of Emory, Atlanta and the world.

“Emory is a world-class institution, and we are ready to write a new chapter in the history of our university,” he said. “The 2O36 campaign is all about forging partnerships with our supporters and donors to invest in our people, who will shape our destiny.” 

Named for Emory’s bicentennial, 2O36 is about investing in people for the benefit of people. In addition to priorities across all nine schools, multiple centers and institutes, and Emory Healthcare, there are three core areas where the campaign will place special emphasis:

1. Student Flourishing: Seeing students realize their potential; preparing them for a lifetime of accomplishment beyond graduation; providing an inclusive environment; valuing each student and enabling them to excel in academics and all aspects of their lives.
2. Faculty Eminence: Recruiting and retaining a diverse, top-tier faculty; investing in the faculty’s big ideas and scholarship, and creating a campus where all faculty have the resources and infrastructure to thrive in their research, teaching and service.
3. Research Excellence: Launching the next era of Emory excellence in research and discovery to answer the most pressing questions and address the crucial needs of the nation and communities Emory serves.

Photos by Kay Hinton, Jack Kearse, Stephen Nowland, Parth Mody and Michael Chan. Story and design by Laura Douglas-Brown.