On Friday, September 19th, in Strasbourg, Prof. Hélène Dollfus, coordinator of ERN-EYE, received the insigne of Commandeur de l’Ordre National du Mérite, one of France’s highest honours, in recognition of her career as a clinician and researcher, and for her significant contributions to medical genetics and ophthalmology.
The medal was presented by Prof. Arnold Munnich, a highly recognised French geneticist and paediatrician, during a ceremony attended by, amongst others, Mr. Samir Henni, General Director of the Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Ms Fabienne Keller, European deputy, Ms Avril Daly, CEO of Retina International and president of EURORDIS, Ms Christina Fasser, Past President of Retina International, Prof. David Keegan and Prof. Bart Leroy.
In her acceptance speech, Pr Dollfus reflected on her professional journey and expressed gratitude for the many successes achieved along the way, such as the creation of ERN-EYE and of SENSGENE, the French Network for rare sensory diseases.
She spoke openly about the challenges facing healthcare today, particularly the growing bureaucracy and diminishing resources, and noted that the place of women in medicine and science remains fragile still.
Finally, she reaffirmed the importance of working hand in hand with partners, a philosophy that ERN-EYE, as a collaborative effort across Europe, truly embodies.
Above all, she reminded the audience that patients remain the starting point and the heart of all activities, and gave her heartfelt thanks to her family, her teachers and mentors, and to the teams who continue to support and accompany her work.
