Ton Duc Thang University is pleased to announce that Dr. Ho Pham Thuc Lan, Co-director of the Bone Muscle Research Group (BMRg) at Ton Duc Thang University, has been conferred the prestigious Alexandre Yersin Prize for Outstanding Publication by the Swiss-Vietnamese Medical Association (HELVIETMED).
The Prize was established by HELVIETMED and named after Dr. Alexandre Émile-John Yersin (1863 – 1943) who was a great pioneer in medical research in Vietnam. Dr. Yersin discovered the Bubonic plague bacillus and Yersinia pestis, which represents a fundamental contribution to the etiologic knowledge of plague. The discovery helped eliminate the epidemic disease that claimed millions of people over the century.
The primary goal of the Alexandre Yersin Prize is to encourage medical researchers in Vietnam to make significant contributions to the international medical literature, and to recognize outstanding research achievements. The Prize is based on the best publication in the 24 months prior to the closing date of the award (for the first award, the time is extended to 5 years). Candidates for the Prize must demonstrate that they are the principle investigator of the research project through first authorship or correspondence authorship of publication. The evaluation of publication is based on five criteria: scientific quality, significance, innovation, scientific impact, and journal prestige.
This year, Dr. Ho Pham Thuc Lan and 3 other scientists have been announced as the winners of the Alexandre Yersin Prize for Outstanding Publication. Dr. Ho Pham Thuc Lan's research examined the relative contributions of lean mass and fat mass to osteoporosis. Through a series of original studies, Dr. Ho Pham Thuc Lan and her colleagues showed that lean mass was more important than fat mass as a determinant of osteoporosis. This finding implies that physical activity or regular exercise can be an important preventive measure for osteoporosis in the general population. This research has been internationally influential, because it has provided an answer to the 20-year controversy.
On the occasion of this honor, Dr Ho Pham Thuc Lan told us: “This award is a great honor for me; however, many colleagues in the Bone and Muscle Research Group of Ton Duc Thang University have contributed to the success of my research project, and I would like to acknowledge their help. I also thank Foundation of Science and Technology Development of Ton Duc Thang University (FOSTECT) for providing infrastructure funding to build our research laboratory which facilitates our group to conduct important research leading to this award. My thanks also go to the Swiss-Vietnamese Medical Association for their recognition of my work and other colleagues' work. I consider the Alexandre Yersin Prize to be a very meaningful initiative aiming to enhance the medical research capacity in Vietnam."
Previously, Dr Ho Pham Thuc Lan was conferred the “L’Oreal - UNESCO for women in science” in 2015, and the Award for Outstanding Research by the Ho Chi Minh City Society of Reproductive Medicine (HOSREM) in 2013.
