Rwanda’s Binagwaho sole African winner of L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science

Rwanda’s Binagwaho sole African winner of L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science
02 / 10 / 2021
By Marwa Nassar - -

Rwanda’s  Agnès Binagwaho, Professor of Pediatrics and Vice-Chancellor of Global Health Equity University of Kigali, was the sole African winner of L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science.

She was awarded for her crucial role in establishing a new public health care system for the most vulnerable in Africa, particularly in Rwanda. Her work has led to improved access to HIV, malaria and TB care.

L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science recognized five women researchers for pioneering work in environmental and life sciences.

The importance of science in meeting the major challenges facing the world become more compelling than ever in recent years and to be effective, science must draw on all talents.

“Giving space to women in the sciences is important for equality which benefits humanity, as demonstrated by the laureates of the L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science. Their example encourages girls and women everywhere to undertake scientific careers,” said Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General.

UNESCO and the L’Oréal Foundation are therefore particularly proud to announce the five 2022 laureates, selected by an independent jury headed by Professor Brigitte Kieffer (laureate of the 2014 L’Oréal-UNESCO Award), for the 24the Women in Science International Awards in the category of life sciences and the environment.

Other Winners:

Professor María Guadalupe Guzmán Tirado – Director of the Research Center of the Pedro Kouri Institute (IPK), Institute of Tropical Medicine of Havana – was awarded for her pioneering work to improve the understanding and treatment of dengue, also known as “tropical flu.” Dengue fever occurs mainly in the inter-tropics and is estimated to infect between 50 and 100 million people worldwide each year. Her research has led to a better understanding of its pathogenesis, treatment of its symptoms and prevention.

Professor Katalin Karikó– Adjunct Professor at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, USA, and Senior Vice President of BioNTech RNA Pharmaceuticals – was awarded for her outstanding contribution to the development of messenger RNA technology. Her work has led to the breakthrough in the development of vaccines against COVID-19.

Professor Hailan Hu – Professor and Executive Director of the Neuroscience Center of Zhejiang University School of Medecine, China – was awarded for her major discoveries in neuroscience, in particular her work on depression, which has informed the development of next generation drugs for depression.

Professor María Ángela Nieto- Professor at the Institute of Neuroscience (CSIC-UMH), San Juan de Alicante, Spain – was awarded for her fundamental discoveries on cell differentiation during embryonic development. Her work has paved the way for the development of new therapeutic approaches in the treatment of cancer and its spread to other tissues.

Based on the conviction that the world needs science and that science needs women, UNESCO and the L’Oréal Foundation are committed to promoting women in science. In order to make them more visible, make their talent known and inspire vocations in future generations, the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science program aims to accelerate the careers of women scientists and to fight against the obstacles they encounter.

According to the latest UNESCO Science Report published last June, the number of women pursuing scientific careers is growing, but it is growing too slowly: just over 33% of researchers worldwide are women and only 4% of Nobel science prizes have been awarded to women. These inequalities are even more marked in technology and artificial intelligence, where only 22% of professionals are women.

 

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