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Mae pandemig COVID\-19 wedi tynnu sylw at rôl hanfodol gwyddoniaeth, technoleg, peirianneg a mathemateg (STEM) yn y byd heddiw. Nid yw gweithwyr STEM proffesiynol erioed wedi bod fwy yn llygad y cyhoedd. Yn ddiweddar, gofynnwyd i mi yn y Senedd “sut gellir defnyddio proffil uwch menywod sy’n wyddonwyr yn ystod y pandemig i gynyddu’r nifer sy’n cymryd rhan?” Mae’r pandemig wedi cael ei ddisgrifio cyfle amserol, fel “moment Apollo”, sy’n rhoi mwy o amlygrwydd i wyddoniaeth, yn tynnu sylw at ei bwysigrwydd ac yn cynyddu ei apêl. Drwy rannu straeon am fodelau rôl benywaidd mewn STEM yn ystod y pandemig, gallwn ysbrydoli a chymell rhagor o ferched a menywod i astudio pynciau STEM, gan sicrhau eu bod ar lwybr tuag at yrfa werth chweil. 


Mae nifer o enghreifftiau o fodelau rôl benywaidd mewn STEM yng Nghymru sydd wedi dod i amlygrwydd yn ystod pandemig COVID\-19\. Dyma rai enghreifftiau o’u cyfraniadau a’u llwyddiannau eithriadol.


Cafodd Dr Catherine Moore, Dr Eleri Davies a’r Nyrs Ymgynghorol Gail Lusardi o Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru MBE yr un yn Anrhydeddau Pen\-blwydd y Frenhines am eu gwasanaethau i iechyd y cyhoedd yn ystod y pandemig. 


Arweiniodd Dr Catherine Moore, Gwyddonydd Clinigol Ymgynghorol, yr ymdrech i gael profion COVID\-19 yng Nghymru o fewn mis iddo gael ei gydnabod fel coronafeirws newydd. Arweiniodd hyn at labordy microbioleg Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru yn Ysbyty Athrofaol Cymru, Caerdydd, yn dod yn ail yn y DU i allu profi am y feirws. Roedd Dr Moore yn cydnabod arwyddocâd COVID\-19 ac yn sicrhau samplau cynnar i’w hastudio cyn i unrhyw achos gael ei adrodd yn y DU. Gan weithio gyda chydweithwyr, helpodd i sicrhau bod Cymru’n dechrau dilyniannodi’r feirws ddechrau mis Mawrth – ddiwrnodau ar ôl i’r achos cyntaf gael ei gadarnhau yn y wlad. Mae hyn wedi golygu bod Cymru wedi cyflwyno’r drydedd nifer fwyaf o achosion wedi’u dilyniannodi i gronfa ddata fyd\-eang, gan ddarparu gwybodaeth am nodweddion COVID\-19 a’i ledaeniad. 


Mae Dr Eleri Davies yn Ficrobiolegydd Meddygol Ymgynghorol ac yn Gyfarwyddwr Meddygol dros dro Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru. Yn ystod y pandemig, mae Eleri wedi bod yn gweithio’n agos gyda’i chydweithiwr, y Nyrs Ymgynghorol, Gail Lusardi, ar y mesurau atal a rheoli heintiau sydd eu hangen i leihau lledaeniad COVID\-19 mewn lleoliadau iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol, ond hefyd yn ehangach. Mae’r gwaith wedi bod yn anodd, ond hefyd yn ddiddorol iawn gan eu bod yn defnyddio eu gwybodaeth a’u profiad o atal a rheoli heintiau a microbioleg ar draws pob lleoliad. Maent wedi rhyngweithio ac ymgysylltu ag arbenigwyr, Llywodraeth Cymru a phoblogaeth Cymru er mwyn lleihau lledaeniad yr haint hwn.


Mae Dr Ceri Lynch, ymgynghorydd mewn Anestheteg a Gofal Dwys yn Ysbyty Brenhinol Morgannwg ac arweinydd ymchwil gofal critigol, yn fodel rôl rhagorol arall ar gyfer menywod ym maes gwyddoniaeth glinigol. Mae Ceri a’i thîm wedi gweithio’n galed yn gofalu am gleifion gwael iawn yn yr uned gofal dwys. “Mae hi wedi bod yn eithriadol o dda am ofalu am gleifion sydd â COVID\-19 yn yr amgylchiadau anoddaf a mwyaf heriol.” Mae Ceri hefyd wedi treulio amser yn gweithio ar dreialon clinigol i wella ein gwybodaeth am salwch difrifol. Mae astudiaethau arbennig o ddiddorol wedi cynnwys profion genetig i ddarganfod pam nad oes gan rai pobl symptomau gyda COVID\-19 tra bo pobl eraill yn ddifrifol wael neu’n marw. Mae hi wedi bod yn ymchwilio i amrywiol gyffuriau ar gyfer trin COVID\-19 ac mae hi wedi dod o hyd i un sy’n gwella goroesi. Mae Ceri hefyd wedi edrych ar ddefnyddio rhith\-wirionedd i leihau poen, straen a phryder ymhlith cleifion, perthnasau a staff ysbytai. 


Arweiniodd yr Athro Valerie O'Donnell yn Ysgol Feddygaeth Prifysgol Caerdydd adolygiad o dystiolaeth ryngwladol a oedd yn cynnig bod gan rinsio eich ceg botensial damcaniaethol i leihau trosglwyddiad y coronafeirws. Profodd y tîm effaith cegolch ar feirws SARS\-CoV2 o dan amodau tiwb profi labordy a oedd yn dynwared gwddf unigolyn. Daethant i’r casgliad bod rhai mathau o gymysgeddau cegolch yn anactifadu heintusrwydd coronafeirws wrth iddynt ddod i gysylltiad am 30 eiliad. Cyflwynwyd canfyddiadau tebyg yn ddiweddar gan astudiaethau annibynnol mewn o leiaf dri labordy arall o amgylch y byd. Mae treial clinigol ar wahân sy’n cael ei arwain gan Brifysgol Caerdydd nawr yn profi a all cegolch anactifadu’r feirws yn y geg.


Mae Dr Vijayalakshmi Varadarajan yn Anesthetydd Ymgynghorol yn Ysbyty Tywysoges Cymru, Pen\-y\-bont ar Ogwr. Ar ddechrau pandemig COVID\-19 defnyddiodd ei gwybodaeth a’i sgiliau i lunio protocol ar gyfer rhoi tiwbiau’n ddiogel ar gyfer MERIT (Tîm Symudol sy’n Rhoi Tiwbiau Endotracheaidd). Bu wrthi’n dangos ac yn addysgu’r sgil ar gyfer rhoi tiwbiau gyda’r risg lleiaf o AGP (Triniaeth sy’n Cynhyrchu Aerosolau) ar gyfer yr unigolyn sy’n rhoi'r tiwb. Bu’n hyfforddi ymgynghorwyr a hyfforddeion yn bersonol ynghylch y dechneg ddiogel hon. Er bod ei hymgynghorydd meddygol wedi gofyn iddi warchod yn ystod y pandemig, daliodd ati i weithio yn Ysbyty Iechyd Nuffield, yn rhoi cleifion gydag achosion brys o ganser o dan anesthetig. 


Mae’r Athro Awen Gallimore, sy’n imiwnolegydd yn Ysgol Feddygaeth Prifysgol Caerdydd, yn aelod o Gonsortiwm Imiwnoleg COVID\-19 a ariennir gan UKRI sy’n gweithio i ddeall sut mae’r system imiwnedd yn ymateb yn ystod COVID\-19\. Mae ei gwaith yn canolbwyntio ar ddeall patholeg y clefyd; canfod y cleifion sydd fwyaf mewn perygl o gael clefyd difrifol; helpu meddygon i benderfynu ar driniaethau; datblygu brechlynnau’n gyflym; a thriniaethau newydd ar gyfer COVID\-19 difrifol.


Yr Athro Kamila Hawthorne MBE yw Pennaeth y rhaglen Meddygaeth i Raddedigion ym Mhrifysgol Abertawe ac mae’n feddyg teulu yn Aberpennar. Pan darodd COVID\-19 ym mis Mawrth 2020, fe wnaeth Kamila ymgynnull ei thîm er mwyn newid y broses o addysgu myfyrwyr meddygol yn gyflym ac yn ddramatig a darparu addysg ar\-lein. Bu Kamila yn gweithio gyda Byrddau Iechyd Prifysgol Bae Abertawe a Hywel Dda yn sefydlu swyddi gwirfoddoli ar gyfer y myfyrwyr, ac roedd llawer ohonynt yn awyddus i helpu gyda’r argyfwng. Gan farnu bod myfyrwyr y flwyddyn olaf yn barod, cawsant gyfle i raddio dri mis yn gynnar ym mis Ebrill 2020, er mwyn iddynt allu dechrau gweithio fel meddygon iau ar unwaith. Drwy gydol hyn i gyd, mae Kamila wedi parhau i weld a gofalu am gleifion fel rhan o’i gwaith fel meddyg teulu rheng flaen. 


Mae Dr Emma Hayhurst yn brif wyddonydd ar brosiect ym Mhrifysgol De Cymru, yn datblygu prawf cyflym ar gyfer COVID\-19\. Mae’r prawf yn gyflym ac yn gludadwy, nid oes angen ei brosesu mewn labordy a gall y canlyniadau fod ar gael mewn llai na 30 munud. Mae cymaint o bosibiliadau o ran sut gellir defnyddio’r prawf hwn, er enghraifft, mewn cartrefi gofal, ysbytai, meysydd awyr, labordai deintyddol a meddygfeydd. Mae’r tîm wedi cael cyllid gan adran arloesi Llywodraeth Cymru i ddilysu’r prawf. Gallai hyn olygu ei fod ar gael i’w ddefnyddio yn gynnar yn 2021\.







Translation:


 
The COVID\-19 pandemic has highlighted the vital role science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) play in the world today. Never before have STEM professionals been more in the public eye. I was recently asked in the Senedd “how the increased profile of female scientists during the pandemic can be used to increase participation?” The pandemic has been described as an opportune “Apollo moment” increasing the visibility, importance and appeal of science. By sharing stories of STEM female role models during the pandemic, we can inspire and motivate more girls and women to study STEM, setting them on a path to a rewarding career. 


There are numerous examples of STEM femalerole models in Wales who have come to prominence during the COVID\-19 pandemic. Here are some examples of their outstanding contributions and achievements.


Dr Catherine Moore, Dr Eleri Davies and Consultant Nurse Gail Lusardi from Public Health Wales received MBEs in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for their services to public health during the pandemic. 


Dr Catherine Moore, a Consultant Clinical Scientist, led the effort to establish COVID\-19 testing in Wales within a month of it being recognised as a new coronavirus. This resulted in the Public Health Wales microbiology laboratory at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff becoming the second in the UK to be able to test for the virus. Dr Moore recognised the significance of COVID\-19 and secured early samples to study before any case had been reported in the UK. Working with colleagues, she helped ensure that Wales started sequencing the virus in early March – days after the first confirmed case in the country. This has resulted in Wales having submitted the third largest number of sequenced cases to a global database, providing information about the characteristics of COVID\-19 and its spread. 


Dr Eleri Davies is a Consultant Medical Microbiologist and interim Medical Director of Public Health Wales. During the pandemic, Eleri has been working closely with her Consultant Nurse colleague Gail Lusardi on the infection prevention and control measures needed to minimise the spread of COVID\-19 within health and social care settings, but also more broadly. The work has been demanding, but also very interesting as they applied their knowledge and experience of infection prevention and control and microbiology across all settings. They have interacted and engaged with specialists, the Welsh Government and the population of Wales in support of minimising the spread of this infection.


Dr Ceri Lynch, consultant in Anaesthetics and Intensive Care at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital and critical care research lead, is another outstanding role model for women in clinical science. In intensive care, Ceri and her team have worked hard looking after the sickest of patients. “She has been simply outstanding in caring for patients with COVID\-19 in the most difficult and challenging of circumstances.” Ceri has also spent time working on clinical trials to improve our knowledge about critical illness. Particularly interesting studies have included genetic testing to find out why some people have COVID\-19 with no symptoms whilst others are seriously unwell or die. She has been investigating various drug treatments for COVID\-19 and has found one that improves survival. Ceri has also explored the use of virtual reality to reduce pain, stress and anxiety in patients, relatives and hospital staff. 


Professor Valerie O'Donnell at Cardiff University’s School of Medicine led an international evidence review which proposed that oral rinsing has a theoretical potential to reduce coronavirus transmission. The team tested the impact of mouthwash on the SARS\-CoV2 virus under laboratory test tube conditions that mimicked a person’s throat. They found that certain types of mouthwash preparations inactivated coronavirus infectivity during a 30 second exposure. Similar findings have recently been presented by independent studies in at least three other laboratories around the world. A separate clinical trial being led by Cardiff University is now testing whether mouthwash can inactivate the virus in the mouth.


Dr Vijayalakshmi Varadarajan is a Consultant Anaesthetist at the Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend. At the start of COVID\-19 pandemic she used her knowledge and skills to design a protocol for safe intubations for the MERIT (Mobile EndotRacheal Intubation Team). She actively demonstrated and taught the skill for performing intubations with minimum risk of AGP (Aerosol Generating Procedure) for the person doing the intubation. She personally trained both consultants and trainees in this safe technique. Despite being asked to shield during the pandemic by her medical consultant, she continued working at the Nuffield Health Hospital, anaesthetising urgent cancer cases. 


Professor Awen Gallimore, an immunologist at Cardiff University’s School of Medicine, is a member of a UKRI\-funded COVID\-19 Immunology Consortium working to understand how the immune system responds during COVID\-19\. Her work is focussed on understanding the pathology of the disease; identifying patients most at risk from severe disease; assisting doctors in deciding treatments; the rapid development of vaccines; and novel treatments for severe COVID\-19\.


Professor Kamila Hawthorne MBE is the Head of the Graduate Entry Medicine programme at Swansea University and a GP in Mountain Ash. When COVID\-19 struck in March 2020, Kamila rallied her team to rapidly and dramatically change the medical student teaching to be delivered virtually. Kamila worked with Swansea Bay and Hywel Dda University Health Boards to set up volunteer posts for the students, many of whom were keen to help out with the crisis. Judging that the final year students were ready, they were allowed to graduate three months early in April 2020, so they could start working as junior doctors immediately. Throughout all of this, Kamila has continued to see and care for patients as part of her work as a front\-line GP. 


Dr Emma Hayhurst is a lead scientist on a project at the University of South Wales to develop a rapid test for COVID\-19\. The test is quick and portable, it doesn’t need to be processed in a lab and the results can be available in less than 30 minutes. There are so many possibilities for how this test can be used, for example, in care homes, hospitals, airports, dental labs and GP practices. The team have been awarded funding from the Welsh Government’s innovation department to validate the test. This could lead to it being available for use in early 2021\.