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Janna Shapiro, a post-doctoral fellow in the Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases (CVPD) at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, has received the from the Royal Society of Canada. 

The annual award recognizes three women who have demonstrated excellence while entering a career in scholarship or research at the postdoctoral level. It is named for Alice Wilson, a world-renowned paleontologist and geologist who studied at the University of Toronto and, in 1938, became the first woman elected to the Royal Society of Canada.

Shapiro's research explores ways to protect children with leukemia â€“ a disease that requires treatments that suppress the immune system â€“ from vaccine-preventable diseases like measles. She has also researched how vaccines can protect older adults and pregnant women.

“I was so surprised and honoured to win this award," Shapiro says. "Trailblazers like Alice Wilson have paved the way for researchers like myself to pursue and excel in the sciences. This award feels extra special as a chance to honour her legacy and the role of women in science in Canada."