Celebrating women in science with an inspiring message
On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we are excited to unveil a sequel to our 2023 video message. Watch our diverse collaborators talk about what inspired them to embark on a journey in science and what their advice is to the next generation of researchers.
Female scientists contribute dedication, expertise, and hard work to the fight against infectious diseases across Europe and the world. Yet a significant gender gap remains across all levels of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Globally, only 33% of researchers are women, and they receive less funding, face more barriers to promotion, and remain underrepresented in leadership and technical roles within the private sector.
At Ecraid, we are committed to fostering diversity and inclusion within our network and the broader infectious diseases community in Europe. That is why, on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we have a message for young women who dream of making the world a safer, healthier place for everyone.
Our ambassadors
The five women who appear in our new video are as diverse as the members of the community they represent. Their passion for science and bringing about meaningful change is infectious. We are honoured to be collaborating with Ana Hernandez, Annelies Zinkernagel, Lennie Derde, Oana Săndulescu, and Priya Shreedhar on this initiative, as well as on various scientific endeavours.
Ana Hernandez (France)
Originally for Colombia, Ana works at the University Hospital Centre Limoges in France. She has been part of the EU-funded ECRAID-Base project for the past three years, coordinating the POS-VAP study. Read our interview with her.
Annelies Zinkernagel (Switzerland)
Annelies serves on the Executive Board of ESCMID. She is also Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology at University Hospital Zürich, and teaches at the University of Zurich.
Lennie Derde (the Netherlands)
A driving force behind the groundbreaking REMAP-CAP trial, Lennie is an ICU consultant with a background in infectious diseases and epidemiology at the University Medical Center Utrecht.
Oana Săndulescu (Romania)
Oana is a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Carol Davila" and a specialist in infectious diseases and epidemiology at the National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Prof. Dr. Matei Balș". She is also Chair of Ecraid’s Clinical Liaison Council.
Priya Shreedhar (Germany)
Based at the Heidelberg University, Priya serves as a project manager in the Data work package of ECRAID-Base, focusing on ethics and data sharing.
International Day of Women and Girls in Science
The United Nations-backed International Day of Women and Girls in Science has been observed on February 11th every year for the past decade. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness about the underrepresentation of women and girls in all science fields and to promote their full inclusion. It seeks to address the gender inequalities that exist in the scientific community and to encourage girls to pursue careers in STEM. The goal is to achieve gender equality in these fields and to empower women and girls to become active participants in the creation and application of scientific knowledge.
On the tenth anniversary of this important day, and as we reflect on 30 years since the Beijing Declaration, let’s help pave a path to STEM careers that women and girls deserve – and our world needs.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres