A sociologist and demographer, Nathalie Bajos studies the social construction of health inequalities in the fields of sexuality and sexual health. As a research director at Inserm and a director of studies at EHESS, she is co-director of three national surveys on sexuality, as well as a project on health inequalities focused on COVID-19, cardiovascular diseases, depression, and cancer.
For the 2024–2025 academic year, she has been invited to hold the annual Public Health Chair, established in partnership with the national agency Santé publique France.

• Read her profile in the article “Health Inequalities Are a Major Issue of Social Justice”

Biography:

Nathalie Bajos, a research director at Inserm and a director of studies at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales, conducts her research at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Social Issues—Social Sciences, Politics, and Health (Inserm-CNRS-EHESS). Her research focuses on the social production of health inequalities in the fields of sexuality and sexual health (co-lead of the three national surveys on sexuality in 1992, 2006, and 2023), on COVID-19, and on cardiovascular diseases (ERC-Synergy project 2020–2027). Based on large-scale quantitative surveys of the general population and qualitative studies in France and internationally, the results of her multidisciplinary research—which brings together sociologists, demographers, epidemiologists, and economists—are used to inform public policy and support healthcare professionals.

A member of numerous scientific committees in France and abroad, she also headed the Department for the Promotion of Equality and the Fight Against Discrimination at the Defender of Rights (2015–2018), led the 2020 sociological survey on sexual violence in the Catholic Church conducted by the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church, and has chaired the National Council on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis since February 2024.

• Nathalie Bajos will deliver her inaugural lecture, titled The Social Production of Health Inequalities, on April 3, 2025.

• Her series of courses and seminars, The Social Production of Health Inequalities, will begin on April 29, 2025.

• Her symposium, “The Social Production of Health Inequalities: Theoretical Approaches and Empirical Data,” will be held on June 26, 2025.

Presentation of the inaugural lecture

Health inequalities, a phenomenon as old as it is universal, represent a major issue of social justice. Health statistics attest to their magnitude in every country around the world. Numerous studies, mostly in the field of social epidemiology, have identified many social determinants of health status, such as educational attainment, occupation, income, or place of residence. Sociological analysis of the social production of health inequalities offers a complementary perspective. It calls, first and foremost, for recognizing that these inequalities are one of the most striking manifestations of how social structures are inscribed in bodies, and that it is therefore important to understand the key social power relations—which relate in particular to gender, class, and ethno-racial positions—that shape social practices. It also urges us not to view the biological independently of the social but to consider the complex interaction between these two dimensions. Finally, it calls for analyzing health practices within life trajectories, from birth to death, in interaction with conditions of access to and care provided by healthcare systems.

A Word from Thomas Römer

“Since 2018, the Public Health Chair, created in partnership with the national agency Santé publique France, has enabled the Collège de France to remain true to its mission, as expressed in the motto Docet omnia (‘Everything is taught here’). Invited for a one-year term, each professor holding this chair—at the intersection of medical and societal issues—has been able to broaden the scope of research shared in our lecture halls. Thus, our audience has benefited from valuable insights into pandemics, health inequalities in the face of public health challenges, risks associated with environmental contaminants, and nutrition—issues whose implications for the population cannot be overstated. In
2024–2025, the Public Health Chair will welcome Natalie Bajos, a sociologist and demographer specializing in health inequalities. We look forward to her arrival, as we are convinced of the importance of sharing the results of her research—which demonstrate the persistence of health inequalities and propose ways to reduce them—with the general public as well as with key stakeholders in public health policy.”

Prof. Thomas Römer, Administrator of the Collège de France

A Message from Caroline Semaille

“This new edition of the Public Health Chair is a major opportunity to deepen our understanding of social health inequalities, a central issue for Santé publique France. Although the general health status of the French population is relatively favorable, there is a paradox: significant health inequalities emerge as early as childhood and persist throughout life. They manifest themselves through disease prevalence, access to care, and risk factors, affecting both chronic and infectious diseases.
The analysis of social determinants of health, such as educational attainment, occupation, income, or place of residence, combined with sociological analysis, explores the social mechanisms that generate and reinforce these inequalities. Drawing on the expertise of sociologist and demographer Nathalie Bajos, several disciplines are brought together to understand the processes underlying these social health inequalities. Various health issues will be addressed, such as COVID-19, cardiovascular diseases, mental health, sexual health, and occupational health.
By developing a shared culture in public health, we affirm our commitment to better understanding and reducing these inequalities in order to act more effectively.”

Dr. Caroline Semaille, Executive Director – Santé publique France

About the Public Health Chair

Created in 2018, in partnership with the national agency Santé publique France, the Public Health Chair is designed to foster excellence in research and intellectual debate at the highest level on public health issues, and particularly to raise awareness of contemporary challenges—in France and around the world—among the medical and scientific communities, policymakers, and the general public, by inviting a different distinguished figure to hold the chair each year.

In previous years, the chair has hosted:

• Mathilde Touvier (2022–2023)

• Rémy Slama (2021–2022)

• Didier Fassin (2019–2020)

• Arnaud Fontanet (2018–2019)

About Santé publique France

Santé publique France is the national public health agency. Grounded in the continuum between knowledge and action, our mission is to protect and improve the health of the population. Our work includes monitoring the health status of the French population, anticipating and protecting against risks (infectious, environmental, etc.), and promoting health and disease prevention to reduce the burden of disease and social and regional inequalities.

About the Collège de France

The Collège de France, a public institution of higher education and research established in Paris since 1530, fulfills a dual purpose: to be both a center for the most daring research and a venue for its teaching. It thus offers instruction to all interested members of the public, without any enrollment requirements or degree prerequisites, in “knowledge currently being developed in all fields of the humanities, sciences, and arts.” It also aims to promote an interdisciplinary approach to research and to disseminate knowledge in France and abroad. It offers, in its lecture halls and online, nearly 1,000 courses and lectures each year, freely accessible to all audiences: students, researchers, or simply the curious.

The Collège de France is an associate member of PSL University.