NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 3 – La Roche-Posay has announced a Kenyan Doctor, Winnie Njenga, a dermatologist at the Kiambu Level 5 Hospital, as the first African winner of its annual Research Grants.

Her project on ‘The quality of life in children, teenagers and adults diagnosed with eczema in Kenya,’ satisfied the grants’ high-ranking jury of dermatologists drawn from around the world as one that will provide valuable data and insights on how skin conditions affect the quality of life of patients in different parts of the country.

Dr. Njenga will receive a grant of Sh4 million to carry out her research, together with membership to the French Chamber of Commerce.

“La Roche-Posay partners with dermatologists worldwide to stay at the forefront of skin science research and to formulate safe and effective products that are dermatologist developed and tested,” L’Oréal East Africa Managing Director Yassine Bakkari said.

“We’re proud that this year’s winner is a Kenyan doctor who also happens to be the first African to win the grant to further her research project which shows immense potential for improving the lives of dermatological patients in Kenya,” Bakkari added.

In its 28th edition, the La Roche-Posay Research Grants is a global initiative to support research in dermatology worldwide, with more than 200 leading researchers around the world already benefitting from the grants.

This year, hundreds of dermatologists leading research in quality of life of patients competed to win the prestigious grants, from the four big regions of the world – Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America.

“These grants aim to address the impact of dermatological issues on the quality of life of patients and as La Roche-Posay we are heavily committed to fueling the next generation of dermatologists in Kenya and Africa who form an integral part on how we develop products with high efficacy that work for the African skin,” said Edouard Homasson, L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty Division General Manager.

With this new edition of the grants, La Roche-Posay reinforces its commitment in research to improve patient’s quality of life by encouraging a better understanding of skin conditions and driving research towards optimal dermatological solutions.