Jean-François Toussaint is Director of IRMES (Institut de Recherche bioMédicale et d'Épidémiologie du Sport), which he set up in 2006 at Insep in partnership with Université Paris Descartes, Inserm and AP-HP. His work focuses on the context of performance in the 21st century, the health benefits of physical activity and sport, the risks of high performance and human limits. After completing his PhD at Harvard, he became a cardiologist and professor of physiology at Paris Descartes University. He is co-author of over a hundred books and scientific publications. He organized the États Généraux de la Prévention in 2006, and drafted several national plans for the Ministries of Health and Sport. He heads the Groupe Adaptation et Prospective (Adaptation and Foresight Group) of the Haut Conseil de la santé publique (High Council for Public Health), whose analyses he focuses on major health issues and the prevention of emerging risks.
A member of the Strategic Orientation Committee of the Musée de l'Homme, he chairs the European Commission's expert group on "Sport, Health and Participation". He has organized a number of international conferences, including the recent symposium "Can Man Adapt to Himself?" featuring contributions from Jacques Delors, Albert Fert, Jean-Claude Ameisen, Gilles Boeuf and Cédric Villani.
