Carlo La Vecchia
Encyclopedia
Carlo La Vecchia is an Italian
epidemiologist
. He is doing research on chronic diseases, where he contributed to the understanding of the risks related to diet
, tobacco
, oral contraceptive use and occupational or environmental exposure to toxic substances in cancer
and other chronic diseases development.
, Italy
, studied medicine
at the University of Milan
and received a Doctor of Medicine degree with honors in 1979, after which he has joined the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research
in Milan.
From 1981 - 1983 he was a Research Fellow at the Department of Community Medicine and Medical Practice, University of Oxford
, where he received a M.Sc. in Clinical Medicine (Epidemiology).
Going back to Milan he received an additional Diploma from the Post-Graduate School, Mario Negri Institute, where he took the position of Head, Laboratory of Epidemiology, in 1989. Meantime he had started working also for the University of Milan and was awarded Associate Professorship of Epidemiology at the Institute of Medical Statistics and Biometrics also in 1989. After becoming a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health
, Boston, USA (1994–1995), La Vecchia became Adjunct Associate Professor of Epidemiology (1996 to 2001). As of 2002 he was Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University
, Nashville, USA. The Eastman Dental Institute, University College London
, awarded him a Honorary Senior Lecturer in Oral Medicine(1996–2001).
In 2007 Carlo La Vecchia was promoted Head, Department of Epidemiology at Mario Negri. In the same year he became a Senior Fellow of the International Agency for Research on Cancer
, Lyon, France (2007–2009). Since 2008 he also holds an Adjunct Professorship of Epidemiology at the University of Lausanne
, Switzerland. In 2009 he became co-founder of the International Prevention Research Institute
, a research and consulting company based in Lyon
, France.
Carlo La Vecchia is also a Registered Journalist in Milan (Elenco pubblicisti No. 52412). He is married to Eva Negri.
He is very much interested in international collaboration why he was and still is member of the several international research consortia, e.g. the INHANCE – Head and neck cancer
consortium (since 2004).
La Vecchia is a member of many advisory and/or research committees, both nationally and internationally, e.g. Member of the UICC - American Cancer Society Fellowship Committee (1991–95); Member of the "Steering Committee" of the international cooperative network of case-control of the SEARCH Programme of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, IARC/WHO (1989–1991); Member of the Executive Committee of the European Society for Human Reproduction (ESHRE) (1991–95); Member of the Steering Committee, Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors and Breast Cancer, and Chief, Steering Committee, Collaborative Group of Hormonal Factors and Cervical Cancers, both Oxford and IARC;
He was a Member of the Ethical Committee, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Aviano PN, Italy (1998–2000); Member of the Scientific Committee, Air Quality Project, Fondazione Lombardia Ambiente, Regione Lombardia (1998–2000) and Member of the CPMP Ad hoc Expert Group on Oral Contraceptives and Cardiovascular Risks, EMEA, London, 1998-2001. Carlo is a founding member of the International Academy of Oral Oncology.
La Vecchia has participated and chaired several Working Groups during IARC's Monograph programme, e.g. Monograph 51 on Coffee, Tea, Mate, Methylxanthines and Methylglyoxal, 1990; Monograph 72 on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Human. Monographs 72 and Member Monographs 91 on Hormonal Contraception and Post-menopausal Hormonal Therapy, 1998 and 2005, and 95 on Alcohol, 2007.
He is a Member of the Scientific Review Committee of the UNDP/WHO/World Bank Human Reproduction Programme(since 2000) and a Member of the Scientific Committee, Foundation for the Advancement of the Mediterranean Diet, Barcelona, Spain (since 2002).
Carlo La Vecchia was editor of several scientific journals in his field, like the European Journal of Public Health (1993–2003) or the Journal of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (1996–2002). He currently is Associate Editor of the journals European Journal of Cancer Prevention and Cancer Letter. He also serves or was serving at the Editorial board of the following journals: Alimentazione e Prevenzione (since 2000); American Journal of Epidemiology
(1991–97); Archives of Medical Science (since 2007); Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention (since 2000); Cancer Causes and Control (1991–96); Current Cancer Therapy Reviews (since 2005); Dermatology Research and Practice (since 2007); Digestive and Liver Disease (since 2001); Economia Politica del Farmaco (since 2004); European Journal of Cancer (1991–95); European Journal of Cancer Prevention (since 1991); European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (since 1996); European Journal of Nutrition (since 1998); In Scope Oncology & Haematology (since 2004); International Journal of Cancer
(since 2000); Journal of Nephrology (since 1992); Maturitas (since 2008); Nutrition and Cancer (since 2000); Oncology (1994–1995); Open Cancer Journal (since 2007); Oral Oncology (since 2003); Revisiones en Ginecologia y Obstetricia (since 2000); Revista Española de Nutrición Comunitaria (since 1996); Revue d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique (since 1991); Sozial und Praeventivmedizin (1990—2001); The Lancet, edizione italiana (2005–2008); Tumori (since 1993).
Carlo La Vecchia has published more than 1750 scientific articles and is a ISI highly cited researcher
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
epidemiologist
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
. He is doing research on chronic diseases, where he contributed to the understanding of the risks related to diet
Diet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, oral contraceptive use and occupational or environmental exposure to toxic substances in cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and other chronic diseases development.
Biography
La Vecchia was born in MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, studied medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
at the University of Milan
University of Milan
The University of Milan is a higher education institution in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Europe, with about 62,801 students, a teaching and research staff of 2,455 and a non-teaching staff of 2,200....
and received a Doctor of Medicine degree with honors in 1979, after which he has joined the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research
Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research
The Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research is a nonprofit research institute dedicated to clinical and biomedical research. It was made possible by a special bequest of Milan philanthropist :it:Mario Negri . It was founded in 1961 although it started working in Milan from 1st Feb 1963...
in Milan.
From 1981 - 1983 he was a Research Fellow at the Department of Community Medicine and Medical Practice, University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, where he received a M.Sc. in Clinical Medicine (Epidemiology).
Going back to Milan he received an additional Diploma from the Post-Graduate School, Mario Negri Institute, where he took the position of Head, Laboratory of Epidemiology, in 1989. Meantime he had started working also for the University of Milan and was awarded Associate Professorship of Epidemiology at the Institute of Medical Statistics and Biometrics also in 1989. After becoming a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health
Harvard School of Public Health
The Harvard School of Public Health is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Area of the Boston, Massachusetts neighborhood of Mission Hill, which is next to Harvard Medical School. HSPH is considered a significant school focusing on health in the...
, Boston, USA (1994–1995), La Vecchia became Adjunct Associate Professor of Epidemiology (1996 to 2001). As of 2002 he was Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
, Nashville, USA. The Eastman Dental Institute, University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, awarded him a Honorary Senior Lecturer in Oral Medicine(1996–2001).
In 2007 Carlo La Vecchia was promoted Head, Department of Epidemiology at Mario Negri. In the same year he became a Senior Fellow of the International Agency for Research on Cancer
International Agency for Research on Cancer
The International Agency for Research on Cancer is an intergovernmental agency forming part of the World Health Organisation of the United Nations....
, Lyon, France (2007–2009). Since 2008 he also holds an Adjunct Professorship of Epidemiology at the University of Lausanne
University of Lausanne
The University of Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland was founded in 1537 as a school of theology, before being made a university in 1890. Today about 12,000 students and 2200 researchers study and work at the university...
, Switzerland. In 2009 he became co-founder of the International Prevention Research Institute
International Prevention Research Institute
The International Prevention Research Institute - iPRI is an independent research organisation founded by a group of Scientists. iPRI’s Mission is to work towards the improvement of health in populations worldwide by identifying critical issues in disease determination and prevention.-Main Research...
, a research and consulting company based in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, France.
Carlo La Vecchia is also a Registered Journalist in Milan (Elenco pubblicisti No. 52412). He is married to Eva Negri.
Scientific merits
La Vecchia's specific fields of research are Cancer epidemiology (case-control studies on cancers of the breast, female genital tract, digestive sites, urinary organs, lymphoreticular malignancies, etc.); epidemiological studies on the risk related to diet, tobacco, oral contraceptive use and occupational or environmental exposure to toxic substances; coordination of clinical trials; analysis of temporal trends and of geographical distribution of mortality from cancer, cardiovascular diseases, perinatal and other selected conditions.He is very much interested in international collaboration why he was and still is member of the several international research consortia, e.g. the INHANCE – Head and neck cancer
Head and neck cancer
Head and neck cancer refers to a group of biologically similar cancers that start in the upper aerodigestive tract, including the lip, oral cavity , nasal cavity , paranasal sinuses, pharynx, and larynx. 90% of head and neck cancers are squamous cell carcinomas , originating from the mucosal lining...
consortium (since 2004).
La Vecchia is a member of many advisory and/or research committees, both nationally and internationally, e.g. Member of the UICC - American Cancer Society Fellowship Committee (1991–95); Member of the "Steering Committee" of the international cooperative network of case-control of the SEARCH Programme of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, IARC/WHO (1989–1991); Member of the Executive Committee of the European Society for Human Reproduction (ESHRE) (1991–95); Member of the Steering Committee, Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors and Breast Cancer, and Chief, Steering Committee, Collaborative Group of Hormonal Factors and Cervical Cancers, both Oxford and IARC;
He was a Member of the Ethical Committee, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Aviano PN, Italy (1998–2000); Member of the Scientific Committee, Air Quality Project, Fondazione Lombardia Ambiente, Regione Lombardia (1998–2000) and Member of the CPMP Ad hoc Expert Group on Oral Contraceptives and Cardiovascular Risks, EMEA, London, 1998-2001. Carlo is a founding member of the International Academy of Oral Oncology.
La Vecchia has participated and chaired several Working Groups during IARC's Monograph programme, e.g. Monograph 51 on Coffee, Tea, Mate, Methylxanthines and Methylglyoxal, 1990; Monograph 72 on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Human. Monographs 72 and Member Monographs 91 on Hormonal Contraception and Post-menopausal Hormonal Therapy, 1998 and 2005, and 95 on Alcohol, 2007.
He is a Member of the Scientific Review Committee of the UNDP/WHO/World Bank Human Reproduction Programme(since 2000) and a Member of the Scientific Committee, Foundation for the Advancement of the Mediterranean Diet, Barcelona, Spain (since 2002).
Carlo La Vecchia was editor of several scientific journals in his field, like the European Journal of Public Health (1993–2003) or the Journal of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (1996–2002). He currently is Associate Editor of the journals European Journal of Cancer Prevention and Cancer Letter. He also serves or was serving at the Editorial board of the following journals: Alimentazione e Prevenzione (since 2000); American Journal of Epidemiology
American Journal of Epidemiology
The American Journal of Epidemiology is a peer reviewed journal for empirical research findings, opinion pieces and methodological developments in the field of epidemiological research. It is published semimonthly, and has an impact of 5.454, ranking it 6th out of 105 Journals in the field....
(1991–97); Archives of Medical Science (since 2007); Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention (since 2000); Cancer Causes and Control (1991–96); Current Cancer Therapy Reviews (since 2005); Dermatology Research and Practice (since 2007); Digestive and Liver Disease (since 2001); Economia Politica del Farmaco (since 2004); European Journal of Cancer (1991–95); European Journal of Cancer Prevention (since 1991); European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (since 1996); European Journal of Nutrition (since 1998); In Scope Oncology & Haematology (since 2004); International Journal of Cancer
International Journal of Cancer
International Journal of Cancer publishes articles about experimental and clinical cancer research. It publishes original research articles, mini reviews, short reports, and letters to the editor. The journal appears 24 times a year.-External links:* *...
(since 2000); Journal of Nephrology (since 1992); Maturitas (since 2008); Nutrition and Cancer (since 2000); Oncology (1994–1995); Open Cancer Journal (since 2007); Oral Oncology (since 2003); Revisiones en Ginecologia y Obstetricia (since 2000); Revista Española de Nutrición Comunitaria (since 1996); Revue d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique (since 1991); Sozial und Praeventivmedizin (1990—2001); The Lancet, edizione italiana (2005–2008); Tumori (since 1993).
Carlo La Vecchia has published more than 1750 scientific articles and is a ISI highly cited researcher
ISI highly cited researcher
ISI Highly Cited is a database of "highly cited researchers"—scientific researchers whose publications are most often cited in academic journals over the past decade, published by the Institute for Scientific Information...
Awards
- 1991 - European Visiting Professor to the Royal Society of MedicineRoyal Society of MedicineThe Royal Society of Medicine is a British charitable organisation whose main purpose is as a provider of medical education, running over 350 meetings and conferences each year.- History and overview :...
- 1993 - GlaxoSmithKline PrizeGlaxoSmithKline PrizeThe GlaxoSmithKline Prize and Lecture is awarded by the Royal Society of London "for original contributions to medical and veterinary sciences published within ten years from the date of the award". Sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, the medal is awarded with a gift of £2500...
for medical publication - 2006 - Order of Merit of the Italian RepublicOrder of Merit of the Italian RepublicThe Order of Merit of the Italian Republic was founded as the senior order of knighthood by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi in 1951...
, Commander for scientific achievements