Scientific Council: Philippe Quénel Appointed Chair

Dr. Philippe Quénel, who holds a doctorate in medicine and epidemiology and is a specialist in public health, was appointed Chair of the Scientific Council of Santé publique France by ministerial decree on May 10, 2017. After beginning his career at Inserm, where he served as scientific coordinator of the ERPURS program (Assessment of Urban Pollution Risks to Health) conducted in the Île-de-France region, Philippe Quénel joined the National Public Health Network, which later became the Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS), where he served as director of the Department of Environmental Health and subsequently as head of the Antilles-Guyana Regional Health Surveillance Center (CIRE). In 2011, he became director of the Pasteur Institute of French Guiana. Since September 2014, he has been director of the Laboratory for Environmental Health Studies and Research at the School of Advanced Studies in Public Health, and since 2017 has co-led an epidemiology/expology research team within Irset-UMR1085 Inserm. Since 2016, he has chaired the Association for the Development of Field Epidemiology (EPITER).

The Scientific Council (SC) ensures the quality and consistency of the agency’s scientific policy. It consists of a chair and 26 members, at least four of whom are currently working or have previously worked abroad or in European or international organizations. Characterized by its multidisciplinary nature, the SC’s mission is to assess how scientific foundations—both in terms of knowledge and methods—are incorporated into the agency’s work. Its members are appointed by decision of the Chair of the Board of Directors after the Board has approved the list of members for a renewable four-year term. Its chair is appointed from among its members by order of the Minister of Health, following the advice of the Scientific Council.

Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee: Martine Bungener Elected Chair

At the meeting on January 24, 2017, economist and sociologist Martine Bungener was elected chair of the Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee (CED). A research director emerita at the CNRS since June 2014, she previously headed the Cermes3¹ research center. As Inserm’s first delegate for scientific integrity, Martine Bungener served as advisor to Inserm’s Director General for the humanities, social sciences, and public health; as a member of the Ethics Committee at INED; and as chair of the Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee at the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS) (2012–2016). She is currently chair of GRAM, a think tank working with Inserm patient associations, and a member of the Scientific Council of the Plan Alzheimer Scientific Cooperation Foundation, the CNSA², and the Vaincre la Mucoviscidose association.

The Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee (CED) ensures that Santé publique France’s missions are carried out in accordance with the ethical and professional principles applicable to the field of public health and the performance of its missions. It is composed of seven members representing various disciplines such as law, epidemiology, medicine, public health, philosophy, and the humanities and social sciences. CED members are appointed for four years by decision of the Chair of the Board of Directors (CA) following approval of the list of members by the CA. The CED elects its Chair from among its members. The Chair of the CED attends Board meetings in an advisory capacity.

Frédérique Claudot, of the CED, appointed ethics officer

Pursuant to Decree No. 2016-779 of June 10, 2016, regarding ethics officers in health authorities and organizations, François Bourdillon, Director General of Santé publique France, has appointed Frédérique Claudot as ethics officer. She is a lawyer by training, holds a Ph.D. in Public Law and Political Science, and is a member of the agency’s Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee.Frédérique Claudot is a University Lecturer and Hospital Practitioner in Public Health at the University of Lorraine, where she is notably in charge of a master’s program in “Health Ethics and Human Rights.”

The ethics officer is appointed by the Director General for a renewable three-year term. Their primary mission is to oversee the implementation of the system for declaring conflicts of interest and preventing conflicts of interest.

Committee for Guidance and Dialogue with Society (COD): Chantal de Singly Elected First Chair

The Committee for Policy and Dialogue with Society (COD) is a new body for reflection and proposals with several missions: to provide its perspective on current and future public health issues and the societal questions they raise; to propose priorities within the agency’s areas of activity and guidelines for its work program; contribute to improving the agency’s communication methods and the dissemination of knowledge to various segments of the population, and enable the agency to contribute to public debates on public health issues. This committee consists of 20 members, appointed following a call for applications for a four-year term renewable once, by decision of the Chair of the Board of Directors and after approval of the list of members by the Board. This committee brings together individuals with specific expertise (elected officials, healthcare professionals, journalists, stakeholder engagement, communication) or experience working with diverse populations (children and youth, people with disabilities or in vulnerable situations, adults, and the elderly), from various settings (schools, hospitals, other institutions...), in order to fulfill the agency’s mission: to act for the health of all. Finally, several territorial levels are represented among the members of the COD: the neighborhood, the village, the city, rural areas, the urban community, the region, and the Drom.

The COD elects its president from among its members. The COD president attends Board of Directors meetings in an advisory capacity. At the meeting on March 28, 2017, which was the second meeting of this new body, Chantal de Singly was elected president of the COD. After training as an economist, she worked primarily in the fields of local government and health care as a manager and trainer. After managing several Parisian hospitals, she was one of the 26 pioneers tasked in 2009 with establishing the new Regional Health Agencies (ARS), and headed the one for the Indian Ocean. Now retired from her professional career, she currently chairs the board of directors of the National Agency for the Support of Performance in Health and Medical-Social Institutions (Anap).

For more information (missions, members, DPI):

• Board of Directors

• Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee

• Scientific Council

• Steering and Dialogue Committee