Interview-Format Article

Rodrigues, M. (2024). Meet the Latina scientists advancing health and policy. Nature, 636 (S25-S27). https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-03998-8.

Meet the Latina scientists advancing health and policy
Four Latin American researchers reflect on their experiences bridging the gap between science and policy in the region.

Life as a scientist in Latin America isn’t always easy - and this is especially true for women. Latina researchers have had to find creative ways to bypass the gender gap from an early age: at 15, girls are half as likely as boys to expect that they’ll work in a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) area. According to the United Nations, in 2016, less than half (45%) of Latin America’s workforce in research and development were women. Although this figure is above the world average (38%), it is low compared with graduation rates for women in Latin American countries.

Nature spoke to four Latin American researchers about the peaks and troughs they have faced in their careers and how they are connecting science and policy.

ILIANA CURIEL: A translator between cultures
Paediatrician and researcher at the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare in La Guajira, Colombia.

[Please have a look at the full version of the paper.]

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