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Who do you picture when you hear the word “scientist”? I have to admit: when I close my eyes, I still imagine a white man in a lab coat, probably middle-aged. And I’m not the only one. A recent study showed that many students still imagine scientists this way. That stereotype stuck with me during my studies, so I decided to explore it in my master’s thesis. I would love to share what I discovered!

What happens when groundbreaking science meets fearless determination? Meet Josiane Kenfack, a researcher on a mission to transform women’s health in Cameroon—one conversation, one discovery, and one breakthrough at a time. The Isala Sisterhood project in Cameroon, Leke, coordinated by Josiane has driven her innovative research, earning her recognition from the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP). 

The start of a new year naturally includes a quick look back. Many of my PhD dreams came true and made 2024 a really exciting and interesting year. As a PhD student, I got the chance to start and help run our brand-new vitamin study VIAB2L. And why did that feel so unique? Well, ever since my Master’s thesis, our vitamin B2-producing Isala bacterium has been central to my research. So it was the icing on the cake that this great bacterium would be taken by participants during my PhD research to study the benefits on women’s health. Indeed, our vitamin study started in 2024, and by now the first phase is already over. Days, weeks, months flew by, and I am happy to look back on this wonderful vitamin year and ahead to what is about to come 🙂 

As interest in women’s health research grows, pressing gender data and health equity gaps remain and demand innovative solutions. Enter citizen science—a groundbreaking approach that invites the public to participate actively in scientific studies, thereby aligning research with the needs of society. This collaborative effort not only gathers vast amounts of data but also amplifies the voices of those often underrepresented in (medical) research. And this is exactly what I think various fields of research can benefit from!

The Pap smear used for cervical cancer screening was invented by a man, who knew? Cervical cancer is a deadly cancer around the world and over 90% of cases are caused by infection with certain types of the human papillomavirus (HPV). Thankfully we have an effective and safe vaccine against HPV available which can help curb infection rates. Even though we have this vaccine, HPV is still being transmitted and cervical cancer is unfortunately still developing, as described in Leila’s Isala blog. For over 100 years, the Pap smear has been used to detect abnormal cervical cells but there’s a new method for detection available. Continue reading to learn more! 🙂

Have you ever wondered if a mother’s vaginal bacteria are important for her daughter’s vaginal health? At Isala, we were very eager to dive deeper into this question! For my master’s thesis, I explored the valuable treasure of Isala data. We selected mothers and daughters who participated together in the first research phase. We hope that these mother-daughter pairs will lead to many new insights into the vaginal microbiome—very exciting! Discover quickly what this has yielded so far! 🙂