Jamille Wins The Ruth Nussenzweig Award
Jamille Dombrowski, a PostDoc at the University of São Paulo and a collaborator at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), has been awarded the prestigious Ruth Nussenzweig Medal. This honor recognizes her outstanding achievements in completing her doctorate within ten years and developing impactful work in malaria research.
The Ruth Nussenzweig Medal was instituted earlier this year to celebrate women scientists, physicians, or health professionals who have distinguished themselves in scientific research or in advancing medicine. The judging panel comprises councilors from the Commission for Health, Social Promotion, Work, and Women of the São Paulo City Council, along with additional members appointed by the council president.
The award is named after Ruth Sonntag Nussenzweig, an Austrian doctor and researcher who fled Nazism with her family as a child and later graduated from the University of São Paulo. She made significant contributions to research on Chagas disease and malaria.
Jamille Dombrowski graduated in Nursing from the Federal University of Acre (2011) and holds a direct PhD in Sciences (PPG Biology of the Pathogen-Host Relationship) from the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the University of São Paulo (2018). Her academic journey includes a research internship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, USA (2015), and a sandwich period at LSHTM, London, England (2016–2017), where she gained experience in molecular biology and genetics techniques.
In 2024, she completed her post-doctorate at ICB/USP, focusing on diagnostics (biomarkers for placental malaria) and treatments (studies on antimalarial drug resistance). During this post-doctorate, she undertook a one-year research internship at the Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases at LSHTM (2022–2023), specializing in bioinformatics, Plasmodium genomics, and modern genetic sequencing techniques such as MinION/Nanopore.
With extensive experience in Parasitology, Jamille focuses on gestational malaria, maternal and child health, and Plasmodium genomics. Her interests also span Genetics, Epidemiology, Clinical Research, and Public Health. Her impactful work continues to advance our understanding of malaria and improve maternal and child health outcomes.