The Luxembourg Institute of Health has welcomed Professor Saverio Stranges to their team, who will act as the new Directeur Scientifique in the Institute's Département de Santé de la Population.
Formerly a Professor at the Medical School of the University of Warwick, Professor Stranges first joined the Institute on 1 April 2015 in order to contribute his expertise on public health, preventative medicine and the epidemiology of chronic diseases.
Professor Stranges will be working with Dr. Anna Chioti, the Directrice Opérationnelle of the department, to develop a new research strategy with the aim of encouraging co-operation between various research units.
The new scientific director has conducted numerous scientific studies on subjects such as eating habits; the consequences of alcohol consumption on health; the role of trace elements such as selenium in the prevention of cardio-metabolic diseases; and the impact of sleep disorders on health. He has cited a desire for a position with more managerial responsibilities and scientific freedom as an incentive in his choice of Luxembourg as a new career post.
"When I was informed of the lines of research and funding opportunities in Luxembourg, I discovered a dynamic and developing research landscape," he explained. "The country offers more opportunities to launch new projects and scientific collaborations than the much more rigid British research system. That's what attracted me".
Speaking of his hopes to develop an approach to research which encompasses general welfare and focuses specifically on healthy ageing, Professor Stranges stated:
"I am very confident it will be possible to realise this vision as the department, with its various research units, has the multidisciplinary expertise which is required for such an approach".
The department will reportedly request funding from research partners such as the University of Luxembourg; Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST); the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (Liser); Erasmus University Rotterdam; and the National Institute of Ageing of the NIH in the United States, in the hopes that future findings will have a significant socio-economic impact on behaviours and lifestyles.
