True Grit

Anh Wartel tells Hong Xinyi how indelible childhood memories as a refugee inspired her life’s work in clinical research

- Hong Xinyi

ANH WARTEL is someone who always knew exactly what she wanted to do in life. “As a little girl, I already knew I wanted to be a doctor, and I never changed my mind,” says the petite powerhouse, who was born in Vietnam, grew up in France, and is now based in Singapore as vaccine producer Sanofi Pasteur’s regional medical expert for dengue in the Asia-Pacific.

Fulfilling her childhood ambition was no easy feat. Anh attended medical school in Paris, where her cohort numbered over a thousand students in the first year. Of these, only 170 survived the academic culling to make it to the second year. This highly competitive environment was a suitable start for a vocation that demands intense resilience. Clinical researchers face daunting odds—a vaccine can take decades to perfect and, on average, only 20 per cent of the drugs in development will ultimately be deemed safe and effective enough for use. “With science, you need a lot of humility,” Anh believes. “It can be a bumpy road, and you never know if you will succeed or fail. You need to accept that.”