Professor Liesl Zuhlke, a paediatric cardiologist and Vice President of the South African Medical Research Council, who received the prestigious L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award 2026, chats to Leigh-Anne Williams about her incredible career and being awarded for improving care for children with heart conditions, particularly rheumatic heart disease (RHD), which is a neglected illness with one of the highest cardiovascular mortality rates among children worldwide. Her research has made pioneering contributions to preventing and treating childhood-onset cardiac disease, while improving the detection, management and long-term treatment of cardiovascular disease in women.