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Interview with Deborah Recchia

Post-Doc Researcher at University of Pavia (Department of Biology and Biotechnology “L. Spallanzani”)

What is your role in ERA4TB?
In the European ERA4TB project, my role as a postdoctoral researcher is to contribute to research on tuberculosis (TB) treatment. I am mainly involved in studying the mechanism of action/resistance of new antibiotics using microbiology and molecular biology techniques. This project has allowed me to work closely with experts from other countries in Europe and beyond. My work also involves collecting and analysing scientific data, designing experiments, and sharing results with the ERA4TB consortium.

Which ERA4TB work packages do you work in?
Work Package 2 (In vitro).

How did you end up working in TB research?
I have always had a certain imprinting with the world of microbiology. In a period of my life when I was looking for something that would give me the right push for my professional growth, I became interested in bacteria and read several articles, many of which dealt with tuberculosis. At that point I took the opportunity offered by the mycobacteriology laboratory and dove headlong into the European ERA4TB project whose aim is precisely to research new treatments against tuberculosis.

Are there many women working in your field of interest at the moment?
In the mycobacteriology laboratory of Prof. Maria Rosalia Pasca’s research group where I currently work, there are 4 women. Not all of us are involved in the European project, but in different projects but always on the study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Why is it important for women to be involved in TB or drug development research?
I think it is important that there is a female quota in any laboratory, and in our case in the study of tuberculosis, because I think that women have a broader vision of things, that they also know how to fall into difficulty, but they always have the strength to get back on their feet and they put the same strength into the fight against tuberculosis which still afflicts millions of people today.

What advice would you give to girls or women interested in a career in TB or drug development research?
I would advise women who would like to approach this challenging but also extremely interesting world to believe in themselves, because it may seem like a difficult world, but it is also capable of giving a lot of professional and personal satisfaction.
Furthermore, contributing to the study of tuberculosis can allow the development of new drugs that could also be useful for other pathogenic bacteria.

The theme for International Women’s Day this year is #AccelerateAction – Advancing and celebrating women’s equality worldwide. If you had one wish, what would you like to see happening in the world to make this happen?
I would like the commitment, strength and sacrifices that are always made by women to be taken into greater consideration. I would like there to be more equality, because unfortunately there is still a lot of inequality between men and women and this thing, especially in the workplace, should stop.
I would like to see more science on TV and on social media to capture the attention of younger people to approach healthy areas of life.

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