The National Council for Women (NCW), its president Maya Morsy, and all its members, offered their congratulations to Nadia Zakhary—herself a member of the NCW—for winning Cairo University’s Princess Fatma award for prominent women scientists.
Dr Morsy expressed her pride that Dr Zakhary is the first to receive the award which she described as well earned for her scientific work. The award, Dr Morsy said, joins other international and Egyptian accolades Dr Zakhary has won. She especially lauded Dr Zakhary’s social work dedicated to the scientific society for youth and women.
The Princess Fatma prize is equivalent to Egypt’s State Appreciation Award.
Fatma Ismail (1853-1920) was unique among the daughters of Khedive Ismail (1863-1879) for the footprint of philanthropy and social work she left on Egyptian history, most notably in the form of today’s Cairo University, which opened its gates for the first time in 1908.
Fatma donated her gold jewellry and her palace to build the first university in Egypt: Fuad I University, the name of which was changed to Cairo University in 1952.
Dr Zakhary holds a PhD in Medical Biochemistry from Cairo University. She was professor of biochemistry and tumour biology at Egypt’s National Cancer Institute, and was chair of the Department of Oncology at the Institute of Tumour Biology. She supervised 60 PhD theses and presented more than 60 research publications in international scientific journals.
Dr Zakhary participated in the renovations of the Tumour Biology Department at Qasr al-Aini Medical School. She also supervised the government’s free medical convoys to Sinai.