Research Chair positions

Calendar : janvier 2025 – 2028

Physical activity, sport and women’s health

The Chair aims to study the impact of physical activity on women’s health at different stages of their lives, understand how it can prevent or alleviate specific disorders such as cardiovascular disease, cancers, menstrual disorders and menopausal symptoms, and identify actions to improve women’s health and quality of life through physical activity.

Women’s cardiovascular health: innovative approaches in pathophysiology, diagnosis and prevention

Women’s cardiovascular health has long been underestimated and neglected in both clinical practice and health research, despite cardiovascular disease being the leading cause of death in women. This chair is part of the main area “Specificity of women in chronic conditions”. It will allow for the development of cross-disciplinary and multidisciplinary research, in order to progress in the integration of these specificities from fundamental research to the care pathway. If the subject is suitable, it can also be integrated into the Institute’s cross-disciplinary axes, or build bridges with other thematic areas.

Environment and Women’s Health

Environmental determinants play a major role in women’s health throughout their lives. Environmental exposures can be highly diverse : chemical environment (pollutants, endocrine disruptors, etc.); physical environment (air quality, noise, climate, etc.); social environment (housing and working conditions, urban or rural settings, social networks, discrimination, etc.) — this list is not exhaustive. These factors can interact, producing additive or even multiplicative effects on health.

Women may have specific vulnerabilities to these environmental exposures, related to their exposure trajectories, social or professional roles, and/or physiological particularities. In addition, there are critical periods in a woman’s life (puberty, pregnancy, postpartum, menopause, aging, etc.) during which exposure may affect them differently compared to men.

Interactions among all these determinants remain insufficiently explored and conceptualized in an integrative manner.

The aim of this Chair is to contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms linking environment and women’s health, as well as to produce knowledge that can inform potential preventive actions. To achieve this, it is essential to employ innovative, diverse, and complementary disciplinary approaches. In this regard, the Chair is intended to strengthen or foster multidisciplinary collaborations within iWISH.