Dr. Cilia Lourdes Abad Marcano, Ph.D. represented Charles University on the 11th February 2025 in the 1st online webinar of Tomas Bata University (TBU) in Zlin on the behalf of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The webinar was organised by Dr. Eva Ferreira, a Brazilian researcher at TBU, and entitled Women in Science & Research: Voices from Far that Bring Strength and Overcoming. The event gathered women working in academia and research in the EU (Czech Republic, Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden) who were originally from different countries in America, Africa, and Asia and came to work in Europe temporarily or set their lives here long-term.
Dr. Cilia Abad shared the exodus of the whole family, including two kids, from Venezuela to Europe and to the Czech Republic in 2018 during the economic crisis. Currently, she and her husband work in the Placenta in Health and Disease Team. The whole family succeeded in adapting and managing language, work, school, and other activities.
Generally, all the researchers mentioned in their talks the fear of the unknown before arrival, the struggle with bureaucracy, loneliness, stereotypes, cultural shock, and last but not least, finding their professional space. Racism, gender, religion, and cultural biases can create barriers. All presenting colleagues adapted to the new environments due to their flexibility and resilience, as well as due to the work community support, research mentors, and empathy of new colleagues and friends. The key to success lies in long-life learning, self-care, and networking, which are essentialities not only for immigrants.
Text: PharmDr. Marta Kučerová, Ph.D.
Photography: archive of Dr. Cilia Lourdes Abad Marcano