Science, Intelligence, Ethics: A Multi-Faceted Response to the Challenges of COVID-19

Philippe Douste-Blazy, Chair

Philippe Douste-Blazy is a United Nations official and former French politician. He has been Under-Secretary-General, Special Adviser on Innovative Financing for Development in the United Nations since 2008 and chairman of UNITAID since 2006. He previously served as French Minister for Health (1993–1995 and 2004–2005), Minister of Culture (1995–1997) and as Foreign Minister in the cabinet of Dominique de Villepin (2005–2007). He was mayor of Lourdes 1989–2000 and mayor of Toulouse 2001–2004. Originally a member of the Centre of Social Democrats (CDS), the Christian Democrat component of the Union for French Democracy (UDF) party, he later joined the Union for a Popular Movement. A cardiologist by training, he became Professor at Toulouse Sciences University in 1988. He is also a Lecturer at the University Paris VII and has been Professor at Harvard Medical School.

René Frydman

Professor Frydman is a member of the Faculty of Medicine at University Paris XI and Head of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of Antoine Beclere Hospital. He has been Member of the National Committee of Human Rights, Member of the National Committee of Ethics for the Sciences of Life and Health, and Counselor of the Minister of Research. He received the honor of Chevalier of the French Order Of Merit and is an Officer of the French Legion d’Honneur. His special areas of interest in Gynecology and Obstetrics include infertility and high-risk pregnancy. His work in infertility led the first baby born as a result of in vitro fertilization In France, in 1982. His other area of interest has been biomedical ethics. His work in this realm led to many invitations by religious authorities of the Vatican, Jerusalem, and of the Reform Church to debate the moral issues created by the use of the techniques of artificial procreation. He was active in the preparation of the law on bioethics and actively worked with the Medecins du Monde and Medecins sans Frontieres.

Jean Leonetti

Jean LEONETTI, has been Mayor of the city of Antibes Juan les Pins since 1995 and President of the Sophia-Antipolis Urban Community since 2002. Politician, he was a Member of Parliament for the Alpes-Maritimes from 1997 to 2017 and Minister in charge of European Affairs from June 2011 to May 2012.

Well-known cardiologist, he was head of the cardiology service at the Antibes hospital center from 1977 to 1997. He chaired the information mission on end-of-life support, which resulted in a bill that was passed. unanimously by the National Assembly on November 30, 2004. Its name is now associated with this law known as the “LEONETTI Law”.

President of the French Hospital Federation from December 2010 to June 2011, he was rapporteur for the fact-finding mission on the Revision of Bioethical Laws in 2011 then appointed, in June 2014, by the Prime Minister to lead a mission on the development of a new law on end of life.

He is also the author of several books on the theme of end of life and bioethics “The principle of moderation” (2003) – “Live or let die” (2004) “In the light of twilight” (2008) – ” When science will transform humans ”(2009) -“ This is how men die ”(2015).

Arnold Munnich

Arnold Munnich is Professor of Genetics at University Paris-Descartes since 1989 and the acting president of the Imagine Foundation. He studied medicine in Paris and received his MD degree in 1979 and his PhD in Biochemistry in 1988. He is board certified in Paediatrics and in Medical Genetics in 1983. His main research interests are Genetics and Epigenetics of Neurometabolic Diseases and Birth Defects. He is the author or co-author of more than 900 publications in peer-reviewed journals since 1980. He has been a member of several international editorial review boards, including the Journal of Medical Genetics, European Journal of Human Genetics, Human Genetics, Human Mutation and Clinical Genetics. He served as scientific and medical advisor of the President of the French Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy between 2007 and 2012. He is a member of the American Society of Human Genetics, European Society of Human Genetics and the French National Academy of Science. He was awarded the Grand Prix Inserm in 2000, the European Society of Human Genetics award in 2008 and the Claude Bernard award of the Ville de Paris in 2013.

Brigitte Fanny Cohen

Brigitte Fanny Cohen présente actuellement la Minute Santé, deux fois par semaine, sur BFMTV et BFM Business.

De 1992 à 2019 , Brigitte Fanny Cohen a été chroniqueur médical dans l’émission TELEMATIN de William Leymergie, puis Laurent Bignolas sur France 2. Elle a également réalisé, sur cette chaîne, de nombreux  reportages pour l’émission SAVOIR PLUS SANTE et le magazine ENVOYE SPECIAL. Plusieurs de ses reportages ont reçu des prix prestigieux. Elle a également présenté la chronique Infosanté de 2011 à 2014 sur France Info et a collaboré à de nombreux magazines. Elle a publié en octobre 2020 « Demain tous infertiles ? », éditions First.

Son livre, Les Pourquoi de la santé, éditions Albin Michel (2018), a reçu le Trophée de la Santé décerné par les Trophées du Bien-être fin 2019. Un autre de ses livres, Un bébé mais pas à tout prix (les dessous de la médecine de la reproduction), aux éditions Jean-Claude Lattès (2001) a reçu le Grand prix d’humanisme médical (2002).

Brigitte Fanny Cohen a créé la société BFCConseils, une société de communication et de production audiovisuelle spécialisée dans l’univers de la santé et du bien-être. Elle travaille aussi pour plusieurs magazines.