Side Event in the margins of the 65th Session of the Commission for the Status of Women entitled The Hypatia Debate: Women Scientists in the fight against COVID-19

^{Snapshot from the event. From the upper left corner: Laura Turquet (UNWOMEN), Professor Dame Sally Davies (UK Special Envoy on Antimicrobial Resistance), Dr. Hana El Sahly (Associate Professor of molecular virology,Baylor College of Medicine in Houston) and Dr. Elina Vatzia (The Pirbright Institute, UK)
Photo credit: Permanent Mission of Greece to the UN.}

In the margins of CSW65, the Permanent Mission of Greece, in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Lebanon, with the support of the Permanent Mission of the UK and the participation of UNWomen, organised a side event dedicated to Women Scientists in the fight against COVID, entitled:
The Hypatia Debate: Women Scientists in the fight against COVID-19.

The panelists in this side event included:
- Professor Dame Sally Davies, Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, UK Special Envoy on Antimicrobial Resistance
- Dr. Hana El Sahly, Associate Professor of molecular virology and microbiology in the Vaccine and Treatment and Evaluation Unit at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, chairperson of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee and lead investigator for the phase III trial for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
- Dr. Elina Vatzia, DVM, Postdoctoral Scientist, The Pirbright Institute, UK

The event was moderated by Laura Turquet, Policy Advisor and Deputy Chief of Research and Data, UNWOMEN

Princess Dr. Nisreen El Hashemite, Executive Director of the Royal Academy of Science International Trust (RASIT) and President of the Women in Science International League, contributed with opening remarks.

The panelists highlighted their personal and professional experiences, since they have been involved directly or indirectly in the fight against the pandemic, either in the field of politics, management or research. The discussion evolved in an interactive, timely and insightful debate aimed at exploring the unique role of women researchers in the fight against the pandemic.

Greece will continue to support women and gender equality.