Ceremony to present the Legion of Honor to Yasmine Belkaid

On Friday February 7, a ceremony was held to present the Legion of Honor to Yasmine Belkaid, appointed to the rank of Chevalier of the Legion of Honor on the July 2024 list (see the July 12 issue of the newsletter).

Yves Saint-Geours, Chairman of the Institut Pasteur Board of Governors, opened the ceremony with a touching address looking back over Yasmine Belkaid's life and the determination and commitment that have characterized her scientific career. He particularly highlighted her pioneering work on the gut microbiota and the role of nutrition in regulating the immune response, with the discovery of key mediators between the microbiota and the immune system.

After outlining the milestones in Yasmine Belkaid's career that have shaped her into the engaging, emblematic scientific figure we know today, Yves Saint-Geours officially presented her with the Legion of Honor insignia for her work and service to society.

Surrounded by colleagues and friends, including Geneviève Milon, her PhD supervisor at the Institut Pasteur, the department directors and members of the Senior Management Board, Yasmine Belkaid then took to the floor and gave an emotional address in which she thanked all those who have supported her in big and small ways over the course of her career, during which she has constantly been driven by "the spirit of adventure and discovery, and in keeping with the Pasteurian ethos, by research that serves humankind.” She also thanked all the Institut Pasteur staff and partners for welcoming her and placing their trust in her as the President of this "wonderful research institute that is unique worldwide, that upholds values and a mission that we need to protect now more than ever."