Bangladeshi scientist Dr Firdausi Qadri, who has been instrumental in developing vaccines that have saved millions of lives, has been honoured with the Ramon Magsaysay Award, regarded as Asia’s equivalent to Nobel Prize.
Dr Qadri is an emeritus scientist at the Mucosal Immunology and Vaccinology Unit at the Infectious Diseases Division of International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease and Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b).
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel. She is a laureate of the 2020 L’Oréal-Unesco for Women in Science Award for her advocacy of early diagnoses and global vaccination as well as her work on understanding and preventing infectious diseases affecting children in developing countries.
This award is given every year to individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the eradication of poverty and the development of the society in Asia.
The other recipients of this year’s award are: Muhammad Amzad Sadik from Pakistan, Steven Mansi from Southest Asia, Watchdoc of Indonesia, and Roberto Ballon of Philippines.
The annual award was established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay’s example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society.
The prize was established in April 1957 by the trustees of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund based in New York City with the concurrence of the Philippine government.
