Women's History Month: Dr Firdausi Qadri
Not all heroes wear capes, some also wear white coats- these heroes of the labs with their concentrated efforts continue to save lives by developing new weapons to combat deadly diseases. One such hero is Dr. Firdausi Qadri, a Bangladeshi scientist, an immunologist who has been working in collaboration with national and international organizations on research related to infectious diseases and vaccine development over the last 25 years.
Coached as a biochemist, Dr. Firdausi Qadri began her academic career in 1981 as faculty in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Dhaka. She then joined the Centre for Vaccine Sciences at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) in 1986 as a postdoctoral research fellow and since then has worked her way up to her current title of Senior Scientist and to lead researchers in the Centre for Vaccine Sciences. As a scientist, Dr. Qadri aims to understand the genetic and immunological basis of infectious diseases, genetic disorders as well as vaccines and diagnostics by technology transfer of research tools, to benefit developing countries.
Dr. Firdausi Qadri’s scientific excellence and passion to help others have led to major studies of an oral cholera vaccine among nearly a million people at risk in vulnerable Bangladeshi communities. Dr. Qadri believes that the oral cholera vaccine in Rohingya camps stands as the best example of a preemptive campaign that has saved lives and epidemics. Determined to continue this movement of saving lives, she says, “I would like to see our work scaled up to treat many more people globally, as they struggle with the risk of disease linked to a humanitarian crisis and climate change.” To further promote the rapid diagnosis of cholera and typhoid, Dr. Qadri has also developed innovative diagnostic tools and successfully overseen their journey from the laboratory to a practical, commercially viable reality. Such ground-breaking works have won her Gold Medal Award from Bangladesh Academy of Sciences in 2005, the Christophe Mérieux Prize in 2012, and the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards in 2020.
A real source of inspiration and support for the early stages of Dr. Qadri’s scientific journey was her family, encouraging her to reach ever higher in her ambitions. Yet life as a scientist in Bangladesh has not always been easy. To overcome the lack of funding, resources, and researchers and fight entrenched cultural expectations and gender prejudice, she has leveraged courage and determination, and achieved excellence through rigorous multitasking and a superb team of scientists.
“I dream that in countries like ours, we will develop state-of-the-art, self-sustaining facilities to support the mentoring and capacity building of young people, especially women, in scientific research.”
Balancing the demands of scientific research with family life remains the greatest challenge Dr. Qadri perceives for women in science today. She believes that women scientists must play a dual role in the quest to further the cause of science – both succeeding in their field and serving as a role model for future generations. With this notion in heart, Dr. Qadri has devoted a large part of her career to developing leaders in the field of infectious disease research from different disciplines and institutions. She also has inspired many young scientists through her teaching and research activities. Her penchant for mentoring can be seen in her lab and field sites where aspiring fellows from both local and international universities, join her team as interns and later move on to faculty positions globally.