Susana López Charretón
Susana López Charretón | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 19, 1957 Mexico City, Mexico |
| Occupation(s) | Virologist, researcher, professor |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Known for | Research on rotavirus infection mechanisms |
| Notable work | Over 130 scientific articles on rotavirus; Howard Hughes Medical Institute International Research Scholar (2000–2010); L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science – Latin America (2012) |
Susana López Charretón (born 19 June 1957) is a distinguished Mexican virologist whose expertise centers on the mechanisms of rotavirus infection. For more than 25 years, she has directed a research program as the principal investigator at the Biotechnology Institute of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) located in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
Between 2000 and 2010, she held the position of Howard Hughes Medical Institute International Research Scholar.
In 2012, López Charretón was honored with the L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science – Latin America in recognition of her work elucidating how rotaviruses are responsible for the deaths of approximately 600,000 children each year.
Early life and education
Born in Mexico City in 1957, López Charretón developed an early interest in biology. She completed her undergraduate degree in 1980, followed by a master's in 1983 and a doctorate in basic biomedical research in 1986, all at UNAM. During her graduate training, she also spent time at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). She currently holds a research position at UNAM’s Institute of Biotechnology.
Research interests
At the Biotechnology Institute (UNAM) in Cuernavaca, Mexico, López Charretón has led her own research group as principal investigator. She supervises graduate students at both master's and doctoral levels and holds the prestigious SNI level III investigator rank. Her scientific contributions have significantly advanced knowledge of rotavirus, especially regarding how the virus enters the human host. Her laboratory uncovered that although rotavirus transmission occurs via oral and skin routes, its infection and replication are confined to cells within the small intestine. Additionally, she has investigated aspects such as viral transmission, immune responses triggered by rotavirus, and its replication cycle. These findings have facilitated the development of novel diagnostic methods, isolation of viral strains, and vaccine innovations. López Charretón has authored over 130 articles published in international scientific journals and served nearly nine years on the editorial board of the Journal of Virology. From 2000 to 2010, she was recognized as an International Research Scholar by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Awards and recognition
In 1988, UNAM awarded López Charretón the Gabino Barreda Medal for her doctoral research excellence. She was named a Fogarty Fellow in 1991. The Mexican Foundation for Health honored her with the Funsalud Biennial Award in Gastrointestinal Diseases twice, in 2000 and again in 2002. UNESCO granted her the Carlos J. Finlay Prize for Microbiology in 2001. Also beginning in 2000, she was appointed as an International Research Scholar by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), which supported her influential investigations into rotavirus.
In 2010, when HHMI asked how she would transform the world within one year, López Charretón proposed establishing a foundation funded by celebrity philanthropy to guarantee universal vaccine availability and adequate nutrition for children living in impoverished nations, thereby promoting equitable opportunities from birth.
Her receipt of the L'Oréal-UNESCO Prize for Women in Science for Latin America came in 2012, acknowledging her discovery of rotaviruses’ role in causing around 600,000 child fatalities annually. That same year, she was awarded the Omecihuatl Medal by Mexico City's Women's Institute. In 2013, López Charretón received the "Premio Universidad Nacional" recognizing her outstanding contributions to Natural Sciences research. In 2014, she was included among BBC’s list of 100 Women.
Personal life
Together with her spouse, Carlos Arias Ortiz, she was honored with the 2001 Carlos J. Finlay Prize for Microbiology as well as the 2008 TWAS Prize in Biology. López Charretón and Ortiz are parents to two children, Rodrigo and Alejandra, and their family lives in Mexico City.
External links
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- Living people
- Members of the Mexican Academy of Sciences
- Mexican biochemists
- Women biochemists
- Mexican women chemists
- Women virologists
- National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni
- Academic staff of the National Autonomous University of Mexico
- Scientists from Mexico City
- 1957 births
- L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science laureates
- 20th-century Mexican women scientists
- 21st-century Mexican women scientists
- TWAS laureates
- 21st-century Mexican scientists
- 20th-century Mexican scientists