By Andrea Hargraves 
Researcher Joana Paredes was the grand winner of the Activa Inspiring Women Award, in the Science category, receiving the award from Ana Carlota Agulheiro, ISDIN Country Director.
An enthusiastic Joana Paredes begins her speech by recalling the tremendous coincidence that two years ago she came to the ACTIVA Inspiring Women Award ceremony to receive the same award on behalf of her colleague and friend Raquel Seroka, who was very ill at the time. And who will die later? “For me to be here now to receive this same award is also an honor, and I can't help but think that wherever she was, she must have had something to do with this,” Joanna recalls, her voice choked.
“This award means a lot. It means professional knowledge that is very important, especially in the field of science, which is a field that needs people to feel motivated to continue. Therefore, this kind of award gives us the strength to overcome the challenges we face in our profession.”
Joana Paredes, researcher and head of the Cancer Metastasis Group at the Institute for Health Research and Innovation at the University of Porto and president of ASPIC (Portuguese Association for Cancer Research), won the Faz Ciência Award (awarded by the AstraZeneca Foundation) for her work. On the mechanism that causes triple-negative breast cancer to spread to the bone.
Activa Magazine presented the Activa Inspiring Women Awards for the sixth year in a row at a ceremony held at the Palace of Conde Debidos – Portuguese Red Cross, in Lisbon. Activa Magazine annually selects inspiring women who stand out in the following fields: arts, science, sports, business, solidarity and sustainability. The Professional Award and the Special Freedom Award are also being awarded this year.
The jury consists of: Conceição Zagallo, Luis Marquez Mendes, Mafalda Angus, Maria de Belem Rosera, Natalina de Almeida, Cynthia Sakellaridis that it Vania Delgado.
The awards are supported by C&A, DS Automobiles and Isdin brands.
