For six months, Cape Town paediatric cardiologist Professor Liesl Zühlke had to keep secret the news that she was one of only five global laureates in the internationally acclaimed L’Oréal-Unesco For Women in Science International Awards, reports News24.
She said a call from a French number had popped up on her phone during dinner with her family earlier this year, with the caller telling her she had won a prestigious international award given to the world’s top five female scientists – but that she was not to tell anyone about it for six months, until the official announcement was made.
Zühlke, who heads the University of Cape Town (UCT) Children’s Heart Disease Research Unit, had been named by Unesco and the Fondation L’Oréal as the 2026 laureate for Africa and the Arab States.
Formally announced this month, Zühlke is one of just five global laureates selected from a record 504 nominations across 89 countries.
The award recognises her groundbreaking work in improving care for children with cardiovascular disease, particularly rheumatic heart disease (RHD) – a preventable condition that continues to affect poor and vulnerable communities disproportionately.
For decades, Zühlke’s research has challenged the way rheumatic heart disease is understood globally. Rather than viewing it solely as a medical condition, she has consistently argued that it is rooted in poverty, inequality and systemic injustice.
“Rheumatic heart disease is, at its core, a disease of poverty, inequity and injustice. It has been eradicated in high-income countries, and it remains 100% preventable,” she said.
“It is a neglected, under-resourced and underfunded cardiovascular disease, and framing it in any other way would deny the fundamental truths of this condition.”
Her work has not only advanced scientific understanding of the disease but has also influenced advocacy and policy efforts aimed at eliminating RHD globally.
Zühlke described UCT as both her academic home and a place deeply intertwined with her personal history. But her path to paediatric cardiology took longer than most because she took a four-year career break when her husband (a plastic and reconstructive surgeon) received an overseas fellowship and when her son was born.
By the time she reached 40, she had not published a single research paper. However, she completed her master’s in Public Health, PhD, and master’s in Health Economics all in eight years.
“Then I went back to my department and founded the Children’s Heart Disease Research Unit,” she said.
Zühlke said she knew she wanted to be a doctor since she was a child, growing up in Athlone, with her interest in science growing as she did.
When she finished school in 1985, she was concerned about what she would do if she didn’t get into medical school, so she explored allied medical professions. She found them interesting but knew her heart was in clinical practice.
“I was very, very grateful that I got in. I always felt lucky to get in, especially at that time. But medicine has always been a vocation for me.”
Zühlke was drawn to paediatrics from early in her studies and set her sights on the specialisation in her first year.
“Children don’t care whether you have one degree or ten…. They just care that you’re looking after them.”
One of the most rewarding parts of her work is seeing her patients' lives unfold after treatment. She currently sees patients at a cardiological clinic for pregnant women with heart disease.
“Many of those women were my patients when they were babies or young people, and have congenital and rheumatic heart disease. And now, they are in the phase of their lives where we can safely guide them through their pregnancy and ensure a successful outcome. It’s really gratifying because perhaps 30 or 40 years ago, we might not have been able to do that.”
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Experts urge action to reduce global burden of cardiovascular disease in women
Penicillin reduces progression of rheumatic heart disease in children — Uganda study