Chinese neuroscientist Hu Hailan, 49, has won the 2022 L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards for her work on depression, which has contributed to the development of the next-generation drugs to treat the disease, according to the UN body.
She and four other woman scientists received the awards at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris on Thursday evening.
Hu, professor and director of the Neuroscience Center of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, is the youngest recipient of the award this year, and the seventh Chinese winner of the award.
UNESCO said she was recognized for her "pioneering discoveries in neurobiology that have revolutionized our understanding of social emotional behavior and mental disorders."
The awards, established by UNESCO and Foundation L'Oréal in 1998, are presented annually to five outstanding female scientists, who have contributed to overcoming today's global challenges through their work.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UNESCO had not held any offline ceremonies for the awards over the past two years. Ten winners of the 2020 and 2021 awards were also present at Thursday's ceremony.
Hu Hailan, laureate of the 2022 L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards, gives a lecture at the French Academy of Sciences, June 21, 2022. /CGTN
Hu told CGTN that the award was recognition for a long line of women scientists.
"Chinese women scientists are 'blooming' and everyone is racing to get better. We're seeing so many leading scientists in so many fields, including for this award," she said.
"I'm honored to join the ranks of those icons. They've been my heroes and inspired me in my work. I hope to pass on that encouragement to other young women and share our love for science.
"There is no better career than being a scientist for me. You are sponsored and encouraged to do what you love."
Hu also explained the mission that drives her work.
She cited a World Health Organization (WHO) figure in 2017, which showed that the Burden of Disease (BoD, a barometer that gauges the overall impact of a disease) for depression had overtaken that for cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
"And that's before COVID-19 hit," she said, adding that recent studies have pointed to higher rates of depression. "It's a very big problem."
"And I think every scientist shares this sense of mission … wanting your research to be meaningful and to improve people's health and quality of life.”
File photo of Hu Hailan in a lab. /CGTN
