An international symposium on obesity renamed in memory of Denis Richard

Since 1998, approximately 250 obesity specialists from many countries have met annually in Quebec to participate in a symposium on major advances in their field. It is to honor the memory of the man who set up this annual meeting, the late Professor Denis Richard, that this event has just been renamed the Denis Richard International Symposium on Obesity.

Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of Laval University from 1984 until his death in 2023, Denis Richard distinguished himself through his work on energy metabolism and his remarkable talents as a builder. From 1999 to 2022, he held the position of scientific director of the Research Center of the University Institute for Research in Cardiology and Pneumology of Quebec. Under his leadership, this center experienced remarkable growth, making it one of the centers of obesity research in Canada.

The first Denis Richard International Symposium on Obesity will take place on November 15 at the Auberge Saint-Antoine, in Old Quebec. All available places were taken in less than 24 hours.

Organized by Alexandre Caron, professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy and former student of Denis Richard, the event will have the theme “Understanding the heterogeneity of obesity”. Conferences delivered by seven luminaries from Switzerland and the United States are on the meeting’s program.