On November 24, 2023, at the Vietnam Academy of Science & Technology (Hanoi), the L’Oréal – UNESCO For Women in Science Awards program held a ceremony to award the Outstanding Female Scientist Award in 2023 to 3 Vietnamese female scientists with high potential research projects in the field of Materials Science and Life Science.

The winners were voted on the grounds of outstanding scientific research achievements, the novelty of the topic as well as the applicability and potential for wider utilization of the research projects. The prize has a value of 150 million VND for each winning candidate.
Three candidates were honored as Outstanding Female Scientists in 2023 as Assoc. Prof. PhD. Nguyen Thi Thu Hoai, International University, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City; Dr. Tran Thi Kim Chi, Institute of Materials Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology; Assoc. PhD. Nguyen Thi Ai Nhung, University of Science, Hue University.

Assoc. Prof PhD. Nguyen Thi Thu Hoai is the Deputy Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research, International University, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City.
The research interest of of Assoc. Prof. PhD. Nguyen Thi Thu Hoai is developing a process to detect antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa directly from clinical samples using digital droplet PCR technique.
P. aeruginosa is a bacterium that causes many infections, both acute and chronic, and in some reports is the number 1 cause of pneumonia and respiratory failure. This bacterium is also one of six groups/species on WHO’s ESKAPE list that poses a serious threat to public health due to its multidrug resistance. This ability comes from many different genes, some of which are outstanding determinants of resistance to important drugs in treatment. This study will apply digital droplet PCR, a recently developed nucleic acid amplification technology. This is a technology with high sensitivity, accuracy, high volume steering, the ability to quantify microorganisms even at very low concentrations and the ability to work well with patient samples. Research by Assoc. Prof. PhD. Nguyen Thi Thu Hoai will aim to develop new tests to quickly detect the presence of antibiotic resistance genes right on the clinical sample, better supporting physicians in diagnosing drug resistance and suggesting the use of drugs, thereby supporting the treatment process, reducing the development and spread of resistance, making an important contribution to protecting public health.
Assoc. Prof PhD. Nguyen Thi Thu Hoai is an author and co-author of 3 book chapters and 72 articles including 25 ISI/Scopus articles in the field of proteomics and drug resistance research.