Carmen Garrido honoured with the Cross of the National Order of Merit

On Friday 27 June 2025, Carmen Garrido, an exceptional research director at Inserm and member of UBE’s CTM Laboratory, was awarded the Croix de l’Ordre national du Mérite at a solemn ceremony held in the ducal kitchens in Dijon.

In the presence of Professor Pierre Fumoleau, former Director of the Georges-François Leclerc Centre and current Scientific Director of the Cancéropôle Est, and Véronique Zeroual, Secretary of the Ordre national du Mérite, the award celebrated a remarkable scientific career dedicated to the fight against cancer.

During the ceremony, Pierre Fumoleau paid tribute to Carmen Garrido’s career, highlighting the impact of her innovative research in the field of oncology. After spending several years in the United States, she moved to France in 1995 to join Inserm, where she now heads a team of around fifty researchers. Her internationally acclaimed work has led to significant advances in the understanding and treatment of cancer.

Carmen Garrido shared her surprise and pride at receiving this award: ‘I didn’t really know about the Ordre National du Mérite, but now that I know and understand what it means to be decorated by this institution, I’m deeply touched’.

She also spoke of her personal journey, marked by her decision to move from Spain to France, a difficult but rewarding decision: ‘This medal gives me the feeling that the State is thanking me for having chosen France, and that touches me enormously’. The following day, Carmen Garrido also received the medal from the City of Dijon.