“Science reflects
the people who make it.
The world needs science, and science needs women and girls.”
International Day of Women and Girls in Science
In December 2015, the United Nations’ General Assembly established an International Day of Women and girls in Science.
This annual Day, celebrated on 11 February, is a reminder that women and girls play a critical role in science and technology communities and that their participation should be strengthened.
To celebrate this day in 2021, we contacted ESDR members to ask them to share their stories on how they chose skin research and what it means to be a women in their field.
use #WOMENINSCIENCE and tag @ESDRorg to share your stories
muzz haniffa
How did you get interested
in skin research?
When I realised that the skin is an active immune organ.
What it means to you to be
a woman in Science?
I am standing on the shoulders of giants – pioneering women scientists before me.
shoba amaranth
How did you get interested
in skin research?
I was always interested in the way the human immune system is regulated in cancer and autoimmunity.
A fundamental limitation in human immunology is the access to the site of disease, by its nature skin research is less affected by this limitation.
Skin is the perfect stage to observe the interaction between the external microbiological environment, the immune system and the development of both inflammatory and neoplastic disease.
By doing skin research, we can understand the interaction between these three factors.
What it means to you to be
a woman in Science?
The academic world of science is challenging but exciting; a continuous test of resilience.
Believe in yourself because your scientific innovation is important to the world.
Reiko Tanaka
How did you get interested
in skin research?
I became interested in skin research as my daughter suffered from atopic dermatitis as a baby and I wanted to understand what was going on.
What it means to you to be
a woman in Science?
A rewarding and exciting opportunity to explore the unknowns with like-minded fellows.
sirkku Peltonen
How did you get interested
in skin research?
I got interested in skin research when I worked as a young student in Professor Jouni Uitto’s laboratory in Philadelphia in late 1980’s.
Jouni’s enthusiasm and connections provided excellent opportunities to study various skin diseases with modern techniques, and his two-year period gave me a solid background for further studies.
What it means to you to be
a woman in Science?
As a woman (with a family) I have tried to allocate my daily working time carefully to get home in time, and to promote other women’s visibility and networking.
Edel O’Toole
How did you get interested
in skin research?
As a junior doctor, I became interested in dermatology as I enjoyed the visual challenge ie the ‘spot diagnosis’.
I was always interested in biology, starting with botany as a child and in dermatology I realized there was a lot of potential for understanding disease and improving treatments through research.
What it means to you to be
a woman in Science?
I think it is important that researchers are as diverse as the population we strive to understand.
Anna Balato
How did you get interested
in skin research?
I would say that this happened to me as the result of interactions between genetic predisposition and human factors. That’s a family matter…I am not the first Dermatologist in my family!
Among human factors, curiosity played the leading role. It has accompanied myself through all my life and research represents the best answer to curiosity in my opinion.
What it means to you to be
a woman in Science?
A fascinating challenge fraught with difficulties.
Rachel Watson
How did you get interested
in skin research?
I have always been curious about how things worked – and the human body was no exception! I enjoyed science at high school and with an older sister studying medicine, it was assumed I too would follow that path. But that didn’t really address my desire to understand how the ‘machine’ or human body, really worked – I wanted to pull it apart, not put it back together! I was also interested in how this sophisticated machine declined in its function as it became older – and so was born my fascination with ageing.
Skin attracted me because you could visualise the ageing process, and you could sample it and look for clues as to how ageing was impacting on those less easily reached organs!
What it means to you to be
a woman in Science?
As a woman in science, I want girls to know that you don’t have to make a choice between having a successful career and having a family – you can do both!
And having a family gives you a perspective which helps you mentor and manage the people around you.
You are never bored – the work is fun, varied and immensely satisfying – in fact, it’s hardly work at all!
Enikö Sonkoly
How did you get interested
in skin research?
I have been interested in research for a long time, to explore the unknown.
As it is so often, choosing skin research was a serendipity – I had the privilege to meet enthusiastic and friendly people within skin research who inspired me to get involved in this topic.
What it means to you to be
a woman in Science?
I do not think about myself as a woman in science but rather as a scientist; luckily, I met some fantastic role models early in my career, who showed me that it is possible to be a scientist and a mother at the same time, you do not need to give up one or the other
Sabine Eming
How did you get interested
in skin research?
I became interested in skin research around 1990, when Howard Green discovered different keratinocyte stem cell clones and defined their cultivation for the treatment of disease.
What it means to you to be
a woman in Science?
I appreciate very much that I have the possibility to combine my daily clinical work with an excellent scientifc environment, and thereby have the opportunity to contribute to the education of the next generation of Dermatologists.
Anissa Chikh
How did you get interested
in skin research?
The skin is a fascinating organ that interfaces between the inside and the outside of our whole body. I have always been interested in understanding what makes the skin healthy and how often it reflects the global health of the human body.
Similarly, I am seeking to study the mechanisms underlying skin disease. With my research aspirations and drive, I intend to make a difference to the way we address the pathophysiology of skin disease.
What it means to you to be
a woman in Science?
To follow the footsteps of extraordinary, pioneering women in Science that have paved the way for me as a woman to be here today.