“As an early career researcher from Ethiopia, being named the Winner of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award at the 10th ESWI Influenza Conference is one of my greatest motivations to work diligently toward the prevention of respiratory viruses in my country and beyond”

“Being recognized with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award by ESWI is a tremendous honor. This award is a celebration of the collective movement towards justice and equity. Receiving this award would significantly impact my career as an early-career researcher in Medical Virology from a lower- middle-income country.”

“Receiving the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Award is truly meaningful to me. This recognition feels like a celebration of perseverance and hope. It encourages me to keep building bridges across cultures and backgrounds, and to help create spaces where every scientist feels seen, valued, and empowered to contribute.”

“I feel honored to receive the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion award, and I sincerely thank the ESWI Scientific Committee for this meaningful recognition. It shines a light on the work we are doing in Madagascar to strengthen respiratory virus surveillance, genomic epidemiology, and public health preparedness in resource-limited settings. This award affirms the importance of inclusive research that reflects the realities of underrepresented regions and directly informs policy and response.”

“Receiving the ESWI Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award is a real honor and a deep source of motivation for me, as a young researcher at the start of my career, and for all young scientists in Benin. This distinction embodies hope and recognition for scientists, particularly women, from low- and middle-income countries, who are often under-represented on the international scene.”

“I’m deeply honored, humbled and grateful to be a recipient of the ESWI's first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award, supported by Sanofi. Receiving this award in my early career is a great motivation for me and I want to express my gratefulness to the respiratory virus team at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar under the leadership of Dr. Ndongo Dia for giving me the opportunity to expand our studies and contributed to the visibility of my lab”.

“I feel immensely honored and proud to receive the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award. I cannot thank ESWI Board Members enough for giving me this opportunity to present my work on a global platform. This recognition further motivates me to continue my dedication to research and to contribute meaningfully to our collective pursuit of excellence in the development of future vaccines against acute respiratory viruses.”

“I am absolutely thrilled to receive this fantastic news. Participating in the ESWI conference has been a great honor, and winning such a significant award is truly gratifying. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for this incredible opportunity.”

“Receiving the prize of ESWI's first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award was a great encouragement for me and all the scientists in low- and middle-income countries to always present their research work even in high-level conferences such as the ESWI conference. We have a lot of data to explore, let's develop our relationship, our research to save lives. It’s also an opportunity for me to discuss with experts and an occasion to interact with people conducting the same project. Thank you for promoting our participation and increasing the visibility of our research in Madagascar. So, thank you so much!”

“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the ESWI conference organisers, Sanofi and the esteemed jury for this extraordinary honor. It is a privilege to be part of a community that values not only scientific excellence but also the principles of equity and inclusion. In a world facing the challenges of emerging respiratory viruses, it is crucial that our collective efforts reflect the richness of diverse perspectives and experiences.”