Established in 1972, the CFES is a private organization dedicated to improving the health of the French population through education and research. The organization consists approximately of 60 health professionals including physicians, health educators, statisticians, sociologists, and epidemiologists. The mission of the CFES is to: 1) develop health education programs targeting children, adolescents, adults, and retirees in France; 2) address issues related to chronic diseases (e.g., cancer, cardiovascular disease), HIV/AIDS, tobacco control, and alcoholism, nutrition, and personal health risk behavior; and 3) to collaborate with international health organizations (e.g.,World Health Organization) and domestic institutions (e.g., schools, hospitals, private enterprise) in conducting research and promoting health.
Each year the CFES conducts an annual survey of the French population collecting data on disease risk behavior and health care practices. The analysis of these data serve as an important basis for developing and evaluating health intervention programs for specific segments of the French population. Dr. Gary King (PSU-MIRT mentor) has been working with CFES researchers since 1994. The PSU-MIRT trainees will work with Dr. Christiane Dressen, the director of the research division. Dr. Dressen is a well known researcher in France and has directed the collection of national surveys on health behaviors and outcomes since 1990. She maintains a particular interest in smoking among women and comparative smoking patterns between the U.S. and France. She has served on a number of public and private policy committees in France to address tobacco consumption issues. She has also collaborated with a number of international agencies (including the World Health Organization) as well as academic institutions on problems related to adolescent health.
INSERM Unit 169 - Paris
The Institut Nationale de la Santé et Recherche Médicale (INSERM) was
established in 1983 with the following objectives: 1) to investigate the factors affecting
individual and collective physical, mental, and social health; 2) to acquire and develop
knowledge in the biological disciplines and medicine as well as other disciplines which
promote helath and medical progress; 3) to discover and evaluate the necessary
interventions to prevent and treat illnesses or their consequences and to improve the
state of the health of the population.
INSERM is the leading national health institution in France and is widely regarded as one
of the premiere international centers for health and medical research. Although INSERM has
facilities situated throughout France, most of the INSERM units are located in the Paris
region.
Dr. Huel Guy, an epidemiologist and director of the toxicology epidemiology
branch of INSERM Unit 169 (L’Institut de Recherche en Epidemiologie) in Villejuif and
is well recognized for his work in public health epidemiology and environmental hea1th.
The premiere goal of the toxicology epidemiology unit is to examine the effects of
environmental toxins on the public health of the French population, and pregnant women in
particular.
Dr. King is presently collaborating with Dr. Guy on an academic publication
on smoking and lead poisoning among pregnant women and their offspring. Dr Guy will mentor
PSU- MIRT trainees in studying the epidemiology of cigarette smoking among pregnant women
in France. The trainees will help analyze data from a national French dataset.
International Agency for Research on Cancer - Lyon
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is part of the
World Health Organization. IARC's mission is to coordinate and conduct research on the
causes of human cancer, the mechanisms of carcinogenesis, and to develop scientific
strategies on cancer control. The Agency is involved in both epidemiological and
laboratory research and disseminates scientific information through publications,
meetings, courses, and fellowships.
Dr. Annie Sasco, director of the Cancer Prevention Epidemiology Unit (CPEU)
will mentor PSU-MIRT trainees. Dr. Sasco is a highly regarded epidemiologist and cancer
control specialist and is presently collaborating with Dr. King on a study of smoking
among Senegalese youth. As part of its international mission, the CPEU has engaged in a
number of multi-site, international, case-control studies, including: surveys on tobacco
use, case-control studies of lung cancer in several African countries, and studies on
tobacco use and other life-style factors among the young.
