“El pañuelo rosa de mamá”, by GIBI230 researcher Silvia Flor, wins the Hortensia Roig Children’s Literature Award

The jury, made up of prominent figures such as oncologist Ana Lluch, researcher Laura Lechuga, journalist Gloria Lomana, entrepreneur Ángela Pérez and publisher Jordi Nadal, unanimously recognised the sensitivity and empathy of a work that highlights medicine and research as essential disciplines for improving and saving lives. It also highlighted its message about work-life balance, solidarity and understanding the role that mothers and fathers play beyond the family sphere.

The book will be published on 14 October. El pañuelo rosa de mamá tells the story of a girl who does not understand why her mother always seems to be absent. Everything changes when she accompanies her mother to her workplace during a school activity. There, she discovers the meaning of the pink scarf her mother always wears around her neck and understands the importance of the work she does. The story unfolds between Julia's reality and that of Emma, another girl whose mother is also in hospital, although for very different reasons.

Silvia Flor Arnal holds a degree in Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences from the University of Valencia. Her first professional steps were linked to basic research, carrying out internships as a senior research technician both at the University of Valencia and at the Health Research Institute La Fe, within the Severe Infection Research Group led by M.ª Ángeles Tormo.

The author of El pañuelo rosa de mamá completed a Master's Degree in Clinical Trial Management and Monitoring at CEU Cardenal Herrera University, with the aim of steering her career towards research that is closer to patients.

During this period, she completed internships as a clinical trials coordinator in the Paediatric Oncology Department at Hospital La Fe in Valencia and in the Biomedical Imaging Research Group (GIBI230), where she currently carries out her research activities within the EUCAIM project. In this project, she coordinates the research centres that contribute medical imaging collections and anonymised clinical data to this European oncology imaging repository.

She has also worked in parallel as a clinical trials coordinator at Quirónsalud Valencia Hospital, in this case with breast cancer patients.