By Efosa Taiwo

South African cardiologist and 2026 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science laureate Professor Liesl Zühlke has called for greater political commitment to tackling childhood heart disease, as she joined four other researchers from across the globe recognised for their groundbreaking contributions to science.

Zühlke, who was named the Laureate for Africa and the Arab States, said the award represented an opportunity to bring attention to neglected cardiovascular diseases that continue to disproportionately affect children in low and middle-income countries.

“It means a great deal to elevate the story around neglected cardiovascular disease,” said the University of Cape Town professor and Vice President of the South African Medical Research Council.

Speaking after receiving the honour at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on June 11, Zühlke said African scientists possess the intellectual capacity and courage to develop solutions to challenges facing the continent and the world.

“I think we understand Africa’s problems and we can bring African solutions to them,” she said, pointing to the continent’s scientific response during the COVID-19 pandemic as evidence of its growing global role.

The cardiologist, who was recognised for improving care for children suffering from rheumatic heart disease (RHD), warned that the condition remains largely overlooked despite affecting an estimated 55 million people worldwide.

“It is very sad that a disease that has been largely eliminated from high-income countries becomes invisible despite the fact that it is still so prominent in low- and middle-income countries,” she said.

According to Zühlke, rheumatic heart disease is closely linked to poverty, inequality and poor access to healthcare, making prevention and treatment difficult. She stressed that governments across Africa have made progress but could do much more.

“I would not say governments are not moving fast, but we can always move faster,” she said, noting that campaigners are pushing for stronger global commitments against childhood rheumatic heart disease.

She argued that many cardiovascular diseases seen in adults have their origins in childhood and that investing in children’s health is more cost-effective than treating heart attacks and complications later in life.

Zühlke also expressed optimism over the prospects of a vaccine against rheumatic heart disease, saying decades of research had accelerated significantly in recent years.

“There are several vaccine candidates in Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies at the moment. We hope that in the next five to ten years we will see a vaccine in the market,” she said.

Beyond her work on cardiovascular diseases, the South African scientist highlighted the challenges women continue to face in scientific careers, describing a “leaky pipeline” that sees fewer women represented in senior positions.

“There are a lot of women at the beginning, but far fewer remain at the top,” she said, calling for more inclusive policies such as flexible work arrangements, childcare support and improved maternity provisions.

Asked what success in childhood heart disease research would look like, she said meaningful progress would mean closing the survival gap between high-income and low-income countries and shifting the focus from mortality to long-term quality of life.

“It would be a success if we could talk in a decade not about survival or a 97% mortality rate but we can talk about how do we make sure that most of the children that are long surviving or most surviving have a long and healthy life moving forward and it will be a success.”

Four other scientists honoured

Zühlke was among five researchers recognised during the 28th edition of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards, which drew a record 504 nominations from 89 countries.

Representing Asia and the Pacific, Professor Felice Jacka of Australia’s Deakin University was honoured for establishing the field of nutritional psychiatry and demonstrating the relationship between diet and mental health.

Europe’s laureate, Professor Sarah Teichmann of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, was recognised for pioneering research combining genome science and computational biology to understand the human body at single-cell resolution.

Professor Raquel Lia Chan of Argentina received the award for Latin America and the Caribbean for translating plant biology discoveries into drought-resistant wheat, maize, rice and soybean varieties that could strengthen global food security.

North America’s laureate, Professor Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic of Columbia University in the United States, was honoured for her groundbreaking work in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, particularly the development of “organs-on-a-chip” and biological substitutes for damaged tissues.

The awards ceremony also marked the renewal of the partnership between Fondation L’Oréal and UNESCO for another six years. Since its inception 28 years ago, the programme has recognised more than 5,000 women scientists worldwide, including 142 international laureates, seven of whom have gone on to win Nobel Prizes in science.