- So far only 12 women have won the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
- The first to receive this recognition was Gerty Theresa in 1947.
- On the other hand, the most recent to obtain this award was the Chinese Tu Youyou in 2015 because her research led to the development of a new treatment against malaria.
March 8 is a very special date because it commemorates International Women’s Day. It did not emerge as a form of congratulation but to demand true gender equity and equal opportunities. At the same time, it also works to recognize those who have struggled to stand out despite various factors working against them. With this in mind, in Saludiario we share a list with those who have obtained the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
First of all, at the international level, the recognition of inequalities between women and men has led to the establishment of instruments such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Its objective is to endorse the rights of women and commits countries to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
Recognition for the brightest minds in science
On the other hand, in 1901 the Nobel Prize arose. This is an international award that is given each year to recognize people or institutions that have carried out notable research, discoveries or contributions to humanity.
The prizes were instituted as the last will of Alfred Nobel, who was a Swedish philanthropist and industrialist. They are further divided into five categories: Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace.
Women who have won the Nobel Prize in Medicine
Although more than 100 editions have been carried out, to date only 12 women have won the Nobel Prize in Medicine. For some it is the clearest example of the lack of opportunities that persists within this union.
A name that should never be forgotten is that of Gerty Theresa. In 1947 she made history because she became the first woman in history to obtain the Nobel Prize in Medicine. The recognition went to her, her husband Carl and the Argentine physiologist Bernardo Houssay. The prize was awarded to them for discovering the mechanism by which glycogen is converted to lactic acid in muscle tissue and then resynthesized in the body and stored as a source of energy.
For its part, in 1977 the American Rosalyn Yalow repeated the feat. In his case, he won the award jointly with the Pole Andrew Victor Schally and the French Roger Guillemin. The reason was his research in the field of radioimmunoassay peptide hormones.
On the other hand, in 1983 the also American Barbara McClintock got the Nobel Prize in Medicine but the biggest difference is that she was the first to get it solo. It was all thanks to her research on the process of transposing elements of the genome. She used it to explain how genes determine certain physical characteristics.
Finally, to this day the most recent case of recognition corresponds to the Chinese Tu Youyou. In 2015 he received the Nobel Prize in Medicine because his work allowed the discovery of artemisinin. His work was the basis for developing a treatment against malaria.
Also read:
The 10 most important women in the history of Medicine
2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to team that identified hepatitis C
Mario Molina, the only Mexican to receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, dies of a heart attack