Cuban Scientist L'Oréal-Unesco Award Winner Honored with Poster at Paris Airport

May 28, 2022

A large, full-color poster displaying a photo of Dr. María Guadalupe Guzmán Tirado is on display at Paris international airport, Charles de Gaulle (CDG), reported today Yahima Esquivel, Cuba's ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).

The doctor of science and director of Research, Diagnosis and Reference at the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK), María Guadalupe Guzmán Tirado, was recognized in the 2022 edition of the International L'Oréal-Unesco Award, Women in Science.

"The world needs science and science needs women. Cuba is a country of men and women of science at the service of humanity," wrote the Cuban ambassador when she shared photos of the poster on the social network Facebook.

Guzmán Tirado is being honored for her pioneering work, which has made it possible to better understand and treat dengue or tropical flu, a disease that primarily affects intertropical zones and infects between 50 and 100 million people worldwide each year.

Professor Guzmán Tirado's research has made it possible to better understand the pathogenesis of dengue, the treatment of its symptoms and its prevention, Unesco noted in the statement announcing the five recipients by geographic area for the 2022 edition, which is the 24th of this international recognition.

The Cuban scientist is the first Caribbean woman to win this important award. The prize ceremony will take place next June in Paris.

Since 1998, Unesco, in cooperation with French cosmetics company L'Oréal, has awarded the honor to researchers who stand out for their contributions in life sciences and the environment.