Maria de Jesus Trovoada dos Santos (born 1961) is a São Tomé and Príncipe biologist and politician from, who is known for her research on human genetics. She was appointed Minister of Health to the XVI Constitutional Government of São Tomé and Príncipe in 2014.

Career

Maria de Jesus Trovoada dos Santos was born on 25 December 1961 in the parish of Conceição, São Tomé and Príncipe. After she graduated from secondary school, she worked as a teacher and volunteered with education programmes that aimed to improve the health of agricultural workers. In 1984, she left for Angola where she began to study Biology at the

University of Luanda The University of Luanda (UniLuanda; ) is an Angolan public university based in the city of Luanda. The university emerged from the merger of the Higher Institute for Information and Communication Technologies and the Higher Institute of Manage ...

, which she went on to complete at the

University of Coimbra The University of Coimbra (UC; , ) is a Public university, public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. First established in Lisbon in 1290, it went through a number of relocations until moving permanently to Coimbra in 1537. The university ...

, Portugal. She stayed in Portugal until 2010, when she returned to São Tomé and Príncipe. During her time in Portugal she worked as a researcher at the

Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência The Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC) was an international centre for biological and biomedical research and graduate training based in Oeiras, Portugal. Founded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (FCG) in 1961, and was supported by the Fo ...

, where she focused on studying the genetic susceptibility of São Toméans to

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

. Returning to São Tomé and Príncipe, she headed the National Program to Fight Malaria at the country's National Center for Endemic Diseases. In her scientific work she has focused on studying the genetic characteristics of human populations, residing in the São Tomé archipelago and in central Portugal. Research projects have included: the study of population samples looking for genetic polymorphisms in newborns and the development of electrophoretic separation techniques, amongst others. In 2014, she joined the XVI Constitutional Government of São Tomé and Príncipe, assuming the position of Minister of Health.

Awards and recognition

Matriz Portuguesa (Association for the Development of Culture and Knowledge) awarded her the Femina Prize in 2018''.'' A biography of her was published in the book ''Vidas a Descobrir: Mulheres Cientistas do Mundo Lusophone (''Associação Viver a Ciência, 2009).

References

{{Authority control 1961 births Women geneticists University of Coimbra alumni Living people Members of the National Assembly (São Tomé and Príncipe) Government ministers of São Tomé and Príncipe 21st-century São Tomé and Príncipe politicians 21st-century São Tomé and Príncipe women politicians 20th-century women scientists 21st-century women scientists