HannahIt isn’t hard to see why we have chosen Dr. Azar Andami as our SmartGirl for today. As a prominent Iranian physician, bacteriologist, and researcher, she is a shining example of the boundless achievements available for women today.
By developing an effective vaccine for Eltor, a cholera-like disease that swept across Iran and other countries, Azar saved thousands, if not millions, of lives. Dr. Andami’s undeniable and long-lasting contributions to the Iranian healthcare system are an inseparable part of Pasteur Institute’s history.
Dr. Andami has now become a beacon of inspiration to girls and women across the globe, reminding them that they can do whatever they set their minds to. Azar serves as an extraordinary reminder that no goal is too great when it comes to personal ambition.
Education And Career Of Azar Andami
Azar Andami was born in 1926 in Rasht, a city in northern Iran. She was the fourth child and the only daughter of the family. Azar finished elementary school with one year of an academic leap.
After graduating from High School, her father, despite being an intellectual, prevented her from continuing her education and sent Azar to the Training College (Daneshsara). She graduated from Training College in 1946. Because most of the responsibility of the family was on her mother, Azar also helped the family with private tutoring, sewing, and needlework and continued to study alongside it.
In 1952, she was admitted to Tehran University in the field of medicine. In 1958, she succeeded in receiving a medical doctor’s certificate and immediately began to complete a specialized course in obstetrics and gynecology. After finishing the specialized course, she was transferred to the Ministry of Health and finally started working at Pasteur Institute.
After some time, she went to Paris with a scholarship from the Pasteur Institute, and in 1967 she succeeded in obtaining a bacteriology certificate. In 1974, she received her specialized degree in clinical laboratory sciences.
She traveled several times to France and Belgium, and the result of these trips were scientific articles that were published in prestigious magazines. After retirement, because she didn’t like staying at home, she went to Bahr Hospital and became the head of the laboratory there. After some time, she worked in her husband’s office, Dr. Khalatbari, treating gynecological and obstetric diseases.
The Invention Of The Eltor Vaccine
In the years 1963 to 1966, the cholera-like disease (El Tor) spread in Iran and many other countries. El Tor was considered an acute diarrheal disease caused by the cholera microbe. The only way to prevent this disease was to inject the cholera vaccine.
It was at this time that the Pasteur Institute vaccine preparation center provided all its facilities to the microbiology laboratory, and the staff of the center, headed by Azez Andami, started working, and finally, they were able to make the Eltor cholera vaccine. Neighboring countries received the vaccine as well.
Memorial For Dr. Azar Andami
Dr. Azez Andami died of cancer in 1984. AIU International Astronomical Society, which in 1919, after the Majdan exploration satellite mapped the planet Venus, named the points on this planet after famous women of the world. A hole with a diameter of 30 km was named after Azar Andami in recognition of her scientific efforts and services.
Dr. Pourmansour, who works at the Pasteur Institute in Tehran, says, “She was a hard-working and determined woman. She was someone who not only made herself proud, but also did not stop working and researching in this institute for a single day, and I have never seen a woman with such perseverance and diligence.
Dr. Azar Andami can be remembered as the woman who, through perseverance, saved thousands of people’s lives. Her efforts and confidence can be an inspiration for many girls and women worldwide.
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