- In the context of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, professionals from different hospitals within the Ribera group and across various specialties appeal to knowledge, empathy, and equality as guiding principles.
- They highlight the importance of continuing education, female leadership, and a gender perspective in healthcare.
To mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, celebrated every February 11, the healthcare group Ribera It highlights the research, scientific, and clinical profile of its professionals, leading women who contribute daily to the advancement of knowledge, the improvement of healthcare, and the inspiration of future generations. From fields as diverse as Neurology, Nephrology, Gynecology, Hospital Pharmacy, Clinical Laboratory, and the comprehensive management of pain, the professionals at Ribera agree that a scientific vocation often begins in childhood, driven by curiosity, the family environment, and the opportunity to experiment, ask questions, and learn without limits.
Dr. Eva Cotilla, head of Nephrology at Vinalopó University Hospital (Elche), explains that her vocation emerged in adolescence, when she discovered she wanted to “care for people” through science. In her opinion, girls today have many more visible role models thanks to access to information and the digital age, which allows them to “dream without limits.” Therefore, she emphasizes the responsibility of current professionals to “continue being a mirror and inspiration for future scientists and doctors.”
Also Marta González Salaices, head of the Neurology Department of Torrejón University HospitalShe emphasizes the importance of family and professional role models. Raised in an environment where science and medicine were part of everyday life, she learned from a young age that knowledge must always be accompanied by humanity. “Knowledge is essential, but human quality makes a big difference in patient care,” she says.
Vocation, effort and continuous training
The professionals at the Ribera group agree on the message they would convey to a girl or teenager who dreams of dedicating herself to science, medicine, or research: confidence, perseverance, and passion. “That she should believe in herself, not limit herself, and not let anyone tell her she isn't capable,” says María José López Otero, head of Pharmacy at the hospital. Ribera Povisa (Vigo).
From the field of clinical laboratories, Elena Estévez, head of the Ribera Povisa Laboratory, reminds us that science requires curiosity, vocation, and dedication, “but it is compatible with enjoying life.” She also emphasizes the key role of the family and educational environment in the development of scientific talent: “The first role model for a young girl scientist is at home, with parents who foster curiosity, play, and experimentation.”
According to Dr. Patricia Roth, a specialist in Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain at the hospital IMSKE River (Valencia), Science is “a precious and limitless field” that allows us to better understand human beings and life. In her experience, beyond technical knowledge, skills such as empathy, compassion, and communication are essential, and she advocates for the need to strengthen more humanistic training in the healthcare field.
Female leadership and gender perspective in health
The professionals at Ribera also highlight current challenges in women's health and the importance of mainstreaming a gender perspective across all areas of care, research, and prevention. In Neurology, for example, Marta González Salaices warns that highly prevalent conditions in women, such as migraines, remain underdiagnosed or underestimated, and emphasizes the need for more personalized and equitable care.
Along the same lines, Dr. Esperanza Gadea, a gynecologist at Ribera Hospital MolinaShe insists that preventative healthcare and health education are key to improving women's well-being, along with advances in minimally invasive surgical techniques and innovative treatments.
For her part, Dr. Ana Marbella Muñoz Jaramillo, gynecologist at the Ribera Mestalla ClinicShe emphasizes values such as responsibility, ethics, discipline, and a vocation for service, learned from the family environment. "Intellectual capacity has no gender," she affirms, and stresses the importance of "guidance, support, and opportunities for girls' scientific dreams to become life projects."
On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the Ribera Group reaffirms, through the testimonies of its professionals, its commitment to equality, the visibility of female talent, and the promotion of research. Because investing in science and female role models is investing in a more humane, innovative, and high-quality healthcare system for all of society.
