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Maria A. Blasco, winner of the “Smart Woman Forum Awards”

20.07.2023

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Maria A. Blasco (left) with Fenin past president Maria Luz López- Carrasco (right). / Fenin.

She has received the ‘Award for the Best Scientific and Management Direction’ from the Spanish Federation of Healthcare Technology Companies, Fenin, for her extensive professional career.

The jury highlighted the establishment of her own research group at the CNB and her leadership of the Molecular Oncology Programme and of the Telomeres and Telomerase Group at the CNIO.

The event recognised the work and achievements of five women who promote bio-health innovation "with a female accent".

The Spanish Federation of Healthcare Technology Companies, Fenin, has awarded Maria A. Blasco, scientific director of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), the ‘Award for the Best Scientific and Management Direction’ at the second edition of the Smart Woman Forum & Awards. These prizes aim to highlight the contribution of women to the field of innovation in Health Technology and have selected five women in different categories for their prominent professional careers.

From Maria Blasco’s professional path, the jury has highlighted the establishment of her own research group at the National Biotechnology Centre and her leadership of the Molecular Oncology Programme and of the Telomeres and Telomerase Group Fundación Humanismo y Ciencia at CNIO. Blasco has emphasized that “this award represents the desire to move towards a more egalitarian, fairer society. At the CNIO, gender equality and diversity are a priority, a principle we apply to every decision, and that helps us become more productive and also happier in our work”.

In the rest of the categories, the following have been distinguished: M. ª Ángeles Ibarrondo, director of Health Research and Innovation of the Basque Country, with the ‘Prize for the Best Professional Career in Innovation’; Susana Marcos, director of the Visual Optics and Biophotonics Laboratory of the Optics Institute of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), with the ‘Prize for the Best Researcher’; Gema Climent, R&D Director of Nesplora, with the ‘Best Scientific Development Award’, and Ana Maiques, CEO of Neuroelectronic, with the ‘Best Entrepreneur Award’.

The ceremony was held in the auditorium of the Carlos III University in Madrid. Raquel Yotti, Secretary General for Innovation of the Ministry of Science and winner of the award for ‘Best Professional Career in Innovation’ in the previous edition, chaired the event and delivered the keynote speech.

This event is part of a series of activities organized to raise awareness and provide information about the gender gap in the Healthcare Technology sector. They are included in the “Innovation in Healthcare Technology and Women” project launched by Fenin to promote gender equality in the healthcare sector.

Biography of Maria A. Blasco

Maria A. Blasco has been the scientific director of CNIO (National Cancer Research Centre) since 2011. She is a molecular biologist and investigates the role of telomeres and telomerase in cancer and ageing. Her research has been published in the most prestigious scientific journals such as Cell, Nature and Science.

Her achievements have been recognised with international awards such as the Josef Steiner Cancer Research Award, from Switzerland; the Körber European Science Award, from Germany; and the Gold Medal of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO), as well as the Santiago Ramon y Cajal National Biology Award and the Rey Jaime I Award, among others.

Blasco has received four honorary doctorates in Spain, from the Carlos III University of Madrid (2014), the University of Alicante (2017), the University of Murcia (2018), and the International University of Valencia (2022). In October 2017, she received the Scientific Merit Award from Valencia’s Regional Government. She has been the editor of several scientific journals, such as Cancer Research and the Journal of Cell Biology and is a member of various scientific advisory boards in Spain and abroad. In 2020, she was appointed a member of the Royal Board of Trustees of the Prado Museum (Madrid); in 2022, she became a member of the Board of Trustees and President of the Scientific Advisory Council of the ICAR Foundation (International Centre for Ageing Research) (Valencia – Spain), as well as a member of the Advisory Board of FECYT.

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