Susana López Charretón facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Susana López Charretón
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Susana Lopez Charreton
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| Born | 19 June 1957 |
| Alma mater | National Autonomous University of Mexico |
| Awards | Carlos J. Finlay Prize for Microbiology (UNESCO, 2001), TWAS Prize (Biology, 2008) and L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science (Latin America, 2012). |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Virology |
| Institutions | National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) |
Susana López Charretón (born June 19, 1957) is a famous Mexican scientist. She is a virologist, which means she studies viruses. Her main work has been understanding how a virus called rotavirus infects people.
Susana López Charretón has led her own research team for over 25 years. She works at the Biotechnology Institute at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
From 2000 to 2010, she was a special researcher for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. In 2012, she won a big award called the L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science. She received it for her important work on rotaviruses. Her research helped explain how these viruses caused the deaths of many children each year.
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Early Life and School
Susana López Charretón was born in Mexico City in 1957. From a young age, she knew she wanted to study biology. She loved learning about living things.
She went to the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). There, she earned her bachelor's degree in biomedical research in 1980. She continued her studies, getting a master's degree in 1983 and a PhD in 1986. During her studies, she also spent some time learning at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in the United States.
What She Researches
Dr. López Charretón leads her research program at the Biotechnology Institute in Mexico. She also helps guide master's and PhD students who are just starting their science careers.
Her most important work is about the rotavirus. This virus can cause severe diarrhea, especially in young children. One of her team's key discoveries was how rotavirus enters the human body. They found that even though the virus can be spread through the mouth, it only infects cells in the small intestine. It does not affect cells in the mouth or skin.
She has also studied how rotavirus spreads among people. Her research looks at how our bodies fight the virus (the immune response). She also studies how the virus makes copies of itself inside cells. This work has helped create new ways to test for the virus. It has also helped find new types of the virus and develop vaccines to protect children.
Dr. López Charretón has written over 130 scientific papers. These papers share her discoveries with other scientists around the world.
Awards and Special Recognition
Susana López Charretón has received many awards for her important scientific work.
- In 1988, she won the Gabino Barreda Medal from UNAM for her PhD research.
- In 2001, she received the Carlos J. Finlay Prize for Microbiology from UNESCO. This is a big award from the United Nations.
- From 2000 to 2010, she was an International Research Scholar with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). This gave her funding for her rotavirus research.
In 2010, HHMI asked Dr. López Charretón what she would do to change the world. She said she would convince rich people, like movie stars and athletes, to donate money. This money would help make sure every child in poorer countries gets all available vaccines. She also wanted to make sure these children are well-fed during their first five years. She believes this would give them a fair start in life.
In 2012, Dr. López Charretón won the prestigious L'Oréal-UNESCO Prize for Women in Science. This award is given to only one woman scientist per continent each year. She won for Latin America because her work helped explain how rotaviruses caused the deaths of many children. In the same year, she also received the Omecihuatl Medal from Mexico City's Women's Institute.
In 2013, she received the "Premio Universidad Nacional" for her research in Natural Sciences. In 2014, the BBC recognized her as one of their "100 Women."
Family Life
Susana López Charretón is married to Carlos Arias Ortiz, who is also a scientist. They both received the Carlos J. Finlay Prize for Microbiology in 2001. They also both won the TWAS Prize in Biology in 2008.
Dr. López Charretón and her husband have two children, Rodrigo and Alejandra. She lives in Mexico City.
See also
In Spanish: Susana López Charreton para niños
