L’Oréal-UNESCO Young Talents France Prize for Women in Science
October 12
Arriving in Reunion in 2012 for her obstetrics and gynecology internship, Phuong Lien Tran was confronted with the deaths of patients from cervical cancer, which is twice as common and fatal in Reunion as in France. This is why she decided to complete her master’s degree on improving screening. After her doctorate at the University of Reunion, she now works on the island as a lecturer-hospital practitioner in obstetrics and gynecology, focusing on the surgery of women’s cancers.
What are the challenges of your research and their applications?
The objective of my research is to increase the vaccination rate against papillomavirus in Reunion. It is responsible for many cancers in women, mainly that of the cervix, as well as in men. We are working on different ways to put children at the heart of vaccination. In the long term, I would like to eradicate cervical cancer in Reunion, as will soon be the case in Australia, a pioneering country in this area.
Why did you choose a scientific career?
I always knew I wanted to be a doctor. It’s probably linked to my background. My mother almost died from an infection when I was born in Vietnam. She and I were saved by a gynecologist who performed an emergency cesarean section. As for my grandmother, she was a doctor in Vietnam. As a child, I would hide under her desk and watch as she took care of her patients.
In your career, have you encountered any difficulties as a woman?
When I was in my master’s degree, I became pregnant and I was not able to go to the field in Cameroon, as was planned for my internship. At the end of the year, I was criticized for having taken advantage of my research master’s degree to “produce a child”. I almost got disabled. I found it extremely unfair and harsh, especially since the remark came from a woman. Despite everything, I know that I made the right choices: my husband and my son constitute my daily balance. A woman should not be punished for her family life choices.
