Firdausi Qadri (born March 31, 1951) is a Bangladeshi scientist with specialization in immunology and infectious disease research. She has worked over 25 years on the development of vaccines for cholera and has expertise on other infectious disease like ETEC, Typhoid, ''Helicobacter pylori'', rotavirus, etc. Currently, she is working as a director for Centre for Vaccine Sciences of International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease and Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b). She also serves as chairperson of the Institute for developing Science and Health initiatives. Her scientific achievements lie in enteric infections and vaccines including

Vibrio cholerae ''Vibrio cholerae'' is a species of Gram-negative, facultative anaerobe and comma-shaped bacteria. The bacteria naturally live in brackish or saltwater where they attach themselves easily to the chitin-containing shells of crabs, shrimps, and oth ...

and

enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Enterotoxigenic ''Escherichia coli'' (ETEC) is a type of ''Escherichia coli'' and one of the leading bacterial causes of diarrhea in the developing world, as well as the most common cause of travelers' diarrhea. Insufficient data exist, but conser ...

—major causes of severe

diarrhea Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin wi ...

. She has also focused on studying the immune response in H.pylori infected people in Bangladesh and the responses in patients with

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

fever as well as vaccinees.

Education and professional qualification

Qadri got her

BSc A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...

and MSc degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

in 1975 and 1977 respectively. In 1980, she got her PhD degree in biochemistry/immunology from

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

. After completing her postdoc in immunology from

icddr,b ICDDR,B (formerly known as the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh) is an international health research organisation located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Dedicated to saving lives through research and treatment, ICDDR,B a ...

she joined as an associate scientist in 1988 in the same institution. Currently, she is the senior scientist and director of Centre for Vaccine Science at icddr,b.

Research contributions

Qadri has focused her research on enteric diseases, specifically in the areas of immunology, genomics, proteomic technology and diagnostics, and vaccine development. She endeavored to introduce a new cheap oral cholera vaccine in Bangladesh in replacement of Dukoral, which is costly for poor people and cost-ineffective as a public health tool. She demonstrated the efficacy of Shanchol vaccine in mass population in slam areas in Dhaka, then worked to have it adopted as a public health intervention in Bangladesh, including Rohingya refugees.

Honours and awards

In 2012, Qadri was awarded the Fondation Christophe et Rodolphe Mérieux's annual scientific 'Grand Prize', called the "Christophe Mérieux Prize", for her research on infectious enteric diseases. This award made possible the creation of the Institute for Developing Science and Health Initiatives (ideSHi) in 2014. In 2014, she has been named as a member of a high-level panel which will advise the UN chief on the organizational and operational aspects of a proposed Technology Bank and Science, Technology and Innovation Supporting Mechanism dedicated to the least developed countries. She is also listed in the top 100 Asian Scientists list. This list is published by

Asian Scientist Magazine ''Asian Scientist'' is an English language science and technology magazine published in Singapore. History and profile ''Asian Scientist'' was launched in March 2011 by Asian Scientist Publishing Pte Ltd (now known as Wildtype Media Group Pte Lt ...

. In August 2021, the

Ramon Magsaysay Award The Ramon Magsaysay Award (Filipino: ''Gawad Ramon Magsaysay'') is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealis ...

was presented to Firdausi Qadri.

Memberships

Qadri is a founder and a member of Board of Advisory of the Bangladesh Society of Microbiologists. She is the International Ambassador for the

American Society for Microbiology The American Society for Microbiology (ASM), originally the Society of American Bacteriologists, is a professional organization for scientists who study viruses, bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa as well as other aspects of microbiology. It ...

Bangladesh and a fellow of the

Bangladesh Academy of Sciences Bangladesh Academy of Sciences is an academic forum for Bangladeshi scientists and technologists. Established in 1973, it aims to fulfill the role of promoting research and development of sciences in Bangladesh. History After the partition of ...

since 2008.

Awards

* Gold Medal Award from the

in 2005 *Christophe Mérieux Prize in 2012 *

Anannya Top Ten Awards Anannya Top Ten Awards ( bn, অনন্যা শীর্ষ দশ পুরস্কার) is the prize for women in Bangladesh recognition of contribution to the fields of agriculture, industrial, trade, economics, acting, music, sports, ...

in 2013 * C. N. R. Rao Prize in 2013, one of the awards conferred annually by

TWAS The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) is a merit-based science academy established for developing countries, uniting 1,000 scientists in some 70 countries. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable devel ...

, the world academy of sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries. *

L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards The L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards, created in 1998, aim to improve the position of women in science by recognizing outstanding women researchers who have contributed to scientific progress. The awards are a result of a partnersh ...

in 2020 *

in 2021

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qadri, Firdausi 1951 births Living people Alumni of the University of Liverpool University of Dhaka alumni Bangladeshi scientists Fellows of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences Foreign Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science laureates Ramon Magsaysay Award winners