Professor Rose LEKE, Chair of the IMPM Board of Directors and former Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology at the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Cameroon, received the prestigious L’Oréal-Unesco for Women in Science International Award at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris on May 28, 2024.
Every year, the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards recognize outstanding women from five major regions: Africa and the Arab States; Asia and the Pacific; Europe; Latin America and the Caribbean; and North America.
The laureates of the 26th edition were selected from a pool of 350 candidates worldwide by an independent international jury chaired by Professor Brigitte L. Kieffer, Research Director at the Inserm Research Institute and member of the French Academy of Sciences.
Professor LEKE was awarded for her dedicated leadership; outstanding research and pioneering efforts to improve outcomes in pregnancy-associated malaria, support the eradication of polio and improve immunization in Africa, as well as for her efforts to improve the career path of young scientists.
Professor Leke’s national, regional, and global influence has profoundly impacted the public health in her native Cameroon and across Africa. Her achievements position her as a role model, leading educator and advocate for young female scientists.
