FAMX | INDIA
The Academy of Medicine Foundation’s Franco-Indian Forum
(the FAM’s fourth event) was held in New Delhi on 19 and 20 November 2015.
FAMx India
In a few figures
– The fourth FAMx Forum
– Two days of high-level medical conferences
– One satellite symposium
– 25 French and Indian participants
– 500 visitors each day
Organised in partnership with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the French Embassy in India, the First AIIMS-FAM Public Health and Medical Innovation Forum was based on four major themes selected according to India’s current public health issues:
– Franco-Indian relations in the health field
– Prevention and treatment of cardio-vascular diseases
– The latest in cancer care
– Innovation, teaching and research in medicine
The opening ceremony, which was initiated by Professor Misra (Director of AIIMS), Mr Jean-Marie Dru (President of the Foundation), Mr V. Srinivas (Deputy Director of AIIMS), Professor Albert-Claude Benhamou (Head of Mission at the State Secretariat for Higher Education and Research) and Professor G. K. Rath (Head of the AIIMS Radiotherapy Department), reminded a 500-strong audience of doctors, nurses, professors and students of the importance of knowledge exchange with the aim of achieving greater harmonisation in the access to treatment.
The conferences started with Dr Mukesh Kumar, Director of the Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (IFCPAR). This presentation on the cooperation between France and India provided an opportunity to appreciate the work carried out jointly by the two countries.
These examples of existing Franco-Indian cooperation were followed by Professor Subatra Acharya (Director of the AIIMS Faculty of Medicine) and Professor Balram Airan (Dean of Education at AIIMS), who spoke about the place of research and academic exchange in the functioning of the faculty of medicine.
On the French side, Professor Patrick Henry of the Public Hospitals of Paris (Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, AP-HP) shared his experience of Franco-Indian cooperation in the emergency and cardiology departments where numerous exchanges between French and Indian teams have taken place over the past seven years.
During the afternoon session, Professor Claude Jaffiol of the National Academy of Medicine presented the role of malnutrition as a risk factor in cardiovascular diseases, before giving the floor to French and Indian cardiologists, who took turns speaking about the latest medical advances before a captivated audience. Professor Alain Cribier was particularly lauded by the Indians for his concept of TAVI valves, which avoids the need for invasive surgery and provides excellent results for minimal investment.
Work groups between French cardiologists and their Indian counterparts have already been set up in order to meet a significant demand for cooperation between the two countries.
Before an always full auditorium, the second day of the Forum began with a theme that affects both France and India, and indeed all of the countries in the world: “the latest advances in cancer care”.
Initially, presentations focused on cancer in the broadest sense: the different types of cancer, their care and the means of research and treatment in both France and India.
Professor Gérard Dubois and Professor S. V. S. Deo then revealed some earth-shattering data more specifically concerning the risks of cancer related to tobacco and the prevention methods.
The afternoon was dedicated to Innovation, Education and Research; it brought together a variety of subjects, highlighting new technologies and their application in the medical field.
In terms of innovation, Professor Patrick Baqué and Professor Anurag Srivastava presented their latest advances that facilitate not only the teaching of medical students, but also the treatment of patients, particularly using increasingly less invasive surgery.
Technology was also a major feature of the afternoon’s presentations, which focused on MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses); these courses, available online to all students on dedicated portals, enable professors, for example, to show animations to their students simply by plugging a smart-phone into an overhead projector, as Professor Albert-Claude Benhamou demonstrated.
The conference sessions wound up with two research subjects of particular importance to India: vaccination against dengue and skin pigmentation disorders.
The conference sessions wound up with two research subjects of particular importance to India: vaccination against dengue and skin pigmentation disorders.
The Forum ended with the signing of a tripartite cooperation protocol between the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the French Academy of Medicine and the Academy of Medicine Foundation.
L’Oréal, a partner of the Forum, held a satellite meeting on “Pigmentation Research and Dyschromias in India”.
This FAMx India Forum was only made possible thanks to our patrons and partners: L’Oréal, Sanofi, Fondation Airbus Helicopters, Banque Transatlantique, Air France and RFI. We send them our thanks.
Igor Strauss, a journalist at RFI, supported the French delegation during the Forum and produced a 45-minute report for the programme Priorité Santé [Health Focus] with Claire Hedon. You can hear a podcast of the programme By clicking here.
All the presentations will soon be available on our YouTube channel.
Fondation de l’Académie de Médecine
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