Distinguished Cajalian | The voice that rescued the women of the School of Cajal

Medal bearing the face of Santiago Ramón y Cajal, inscribed 'Cajaliano Ilustre' and 'Embajador del Legado' on the border.

Distinguished personality for their exceptional contribution to science and the dissemination of the Cajal Legacy.

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Contribution to the Cajal Legacy: Dr. Cristina Nombela has made an unprecedented historical contribution: bringing out of oblivion the women scientists who worked side by side with Don Santiago and his disciples. Thanks to her meticulous research in archives and records, we now know names such as Laura Forster and Manuela Serra, demonstrating that female talent was an integral part of the success of the Spanish Neurohistological School. Her work not only enriches history but also provides real role models for today’s girls and young women scientists.

Lecture Topics:

  • Cajal’s “Forgotten Women”: The history of women in Spanish neuroscience.

  • Brain and Parkinson’s: Advances in early detection and cognitive decline.

  • Science in the Feminine: Breaking the glass ceiling, yesterday and today.

Cristina Nombela Otero holds a Doctorate in Neuroscience and is a Professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM). Her international training includes a distinguished postdoctoral stay at the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom), specializing in neuropsychology and neuroimaging.

Her scientific career has a dual dimension of excellence. In the clinical arena, she is an expert in Parkinson’s disease, focusing her research on cognitive biomarkers and impulse control disorders, with the goal of improving patients’ quality of life.

In parallel, she has led the most exhaustive historical investigation into the female presence in Cajal’s school. Her project has succeeded in identifying and writing the biographies of the women who collaborated in the Laboratory of Biological Research (Laboratorio de Investigaciones Biologicas), correcting a historical gap and demonstrating the open-mindedness of Santiago Ramon y Cajal in integrating female talent into his team at a time when women were excluded from science.