Susana López Charretón (born 19 June 1957) is a Mexican virologist specialized in understanding the mechanisms of infection of rotavirus. López Charretón has led a research program as principal investigator at the Biotechnology Institute (UNAM) in Cuernavaca, Mexico for over 25 years. From 2000 to 2010, she was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute International Research Scholar. In 2012, López Charretón received the L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science – Latin America "for identifying how rotaviruses cause the death of 600,000 children each year". Early life and education Susana López Charretón was born in Mexico City in June 1957. López Charretón knew from a young age that she wanted to pursue biology. López Charretón followed her passion for Biology and enrolled into the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), where she completed her bachelor's in basic biomedical research in 1980, followed by a masters in 1983 and a PhD in 1986. While finishing her graduate degrees, she spent a few years at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). López Charretón holds a bachelor's degree (1980), a master's degree (1983) and a doctorate degree (1986) in basic biomedical research from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and currently works for the Institute of Biotechnology of the same university. Research interests López Charretón has led her research program as principal investigator at the Biotechnology Institute (UNAM) in Cuernavaca, Mexico. López Charretón serves as a mentor for master's and PhD students, and currently holds a SNI level III investigator status. Throughout her career, López Charretón has made advancements in our understanding of rotavirus. One of the most important findings from López Charretón research group is related to viral entry into a human body. Rotavirus is spread through the mouth and skin, but the virus leaves those cells alone and only infects and reproduces in cells in the small intestine. She has additionally studied how the rotavirus spreads in human populations, the immune response to it, and its replication cycle. This work has contributed to new diagnostic tests, isolation of new strains, and efforts towards a vaccine. She's published more than 130 papers in international journals. She also spent nearly nine years serving on the editorial board for the Journal of Virology. From 2000 to 2010, she was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute International Research Scholar. Awards and recognition López Charretón won the Gabino Barreda Medal from UNAM in 1988 for her PhD research.