Fact check: Dolly Parton helped fund Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine research

"My longtime friend Dr. Naji Abumrad, who’s been involved in research at Vanderbilt for many years, informed me that they were making some exciting advancements towards research of the coronavirus for a cure," Parton tweeted in April, encouraging her fans to also make a donation.Abumrad, a physician and professor of surgery, treated Parton after her car crash in October 2013, and the two built a friendship in which they talked about current events and science, according to the Washington Post.“Without a doubt in my mind, her funding made the research toward the vaccine go 10 times faster than it would be without it," Abumrad told the Washington Post.The Vanderbilt Vaccine Center is researching synthetic antibodies that could potentially treat and prevent the virus and the Moderna vaccine was made possible by researchers at Vanderbilt, Emory University and others, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.Fact check: Pfizer received COVID-19 vaccine data after Election Day, released within daysThis is hardly Parton's first venture into giving.In 1995, Parton launched and founded the Imagination Library to boost literacy among children.