Dr. Nermeen Abuelezz wins the second “Science by Women” contest

Thanks to Eurofins Foundation, our scientific cooperation program, Science by Women, launched its second contest a few weeks ago. The aim of this initiative is to give continuity to the proposal “from labs to society” thanks to which women scientists of the program can develop research and projects of different kinds in their countries of origin.

For this second edition, a prize of €6,000 was awarded in the category of scientific dissemination. Science outreach has proven to be a key element for scientific progress and the sustainable development of societies, as well as for the promotion of STEM careers among young people. Scientists from the program who have already completed or are currently completing their research stays from any of the eight previous calls applied for the contest. The winner is Dr. Nermeen Abuelezz, who did her fellowship at the Institute of Neurosciences CSIC – UMH, and who proposed the creation of an online platform on dementia in Egypt.

Dementia is the most common neurodegenerative disorder among the elderly population worldwide. The economic and social burden of dementia is even greater in lower middle-income countries such as Egypt, where the vast majority of patients are cared for by family members who lack adequate knowledge and support to cope with such a burden. To date, and taking into account these observations, the lack of native channels to reach out to affected families and develop their knowledge about the different aspects of dementia is obvious. This lack causes the affected sectors to be completely overwhelmed by the “unexplained deterioration of patients” and by the poor guidance on the disease throughout its progression. The high-level educational and community platform proposed by Dr. Nermeen Abuelezz will make it possible to reach many families affected by dementia, in order to offer them guidance and support, but will also serve to raise awareness among the general public about the disease, risk factors and prevention tips.

Again, we would like to thank Eurofins Foundation for their trust and support these past years.