Jean-Pierre Després CQ, PhD, FAHA, FIAS
Professor, Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval; Scientific Director, VITAM – Research Centre on Sustainable Health; Scientific Director, International Chair on Cardiometabolic Risk, Université Laval, Québec City, CanadaDr. Després is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Université Laval in Québec City, Canada. He established himself as a FRQS research scholar at Université Laval in 1986. He is currently the Scientific Director of VITAM – Centre de recherche en santé durable (Research Centre on Sustainable Health) affiliated with Université Laval (appointed in 2018). Since 2005, he is Scientific Director of the International Chair on Cardiometabolic Risk also based at Université Laval.
His research interests include obesity, adipose tissue distribution, visceral obesity, type 2 diabetes, lipids, lipoproteins, cardiovascular disease and their prevention through physical activity and healthy living. Thirty years ago, he was the first to report that an excess of fat in the abdominal cavity (visceral obesity), is particularly harmful to health. He is personally involved in major education and mobilization activities to prevent chronic societal diseases.
He is one of the most cited researchers in the world in his field (749 scientific articles and 59 book chapters with over 142,000 Google Scholar citations; H index: 152) and is the most cited active scientist at Université Laval.