Jean-Pierre Després has spent more than 30 years researching abdominal obesity and cardiovascular disease, specializing in obesity, lipidology, exercise, diabetes, and metabolism as well as the treatment of obesity and its complications. He has published over 700 journal articles and authored 58 book chapters.
He has been the scientific director of the International Chair on Cardiometabolic Risk at Université Laval since 2005 and been on the program committee for the last six ICCR Congresses on Chronic Societal Cardiometabolic Diseases.
His work has been recognized with numerous awards from the likes of the American College of Sports Medicine, the Canadian Diabetes Association (Diabetes Canada), the Canadian Cardiology Association, the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology, the Canadian Lipoproteins Conference, and the North American Association for the Study of Obesity. In 2010 he was named Personality of the Year by Radio-Canada and Le Soleil and in 2011 received the Gloire de l’Escolle Medal, Université Laval’s highest distinction for alumni. In 2014 he was named a “Great Quebecer” by Québec City’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
To learn more about Dr. Després’s work to bring scientific conferences to Québec City, see the Québec City Business Destination blog.
