Eric Fombonne
Encyclopedia
Eric Fombonne, MD, FRCP, (b. 1954, Paris
, France
) is a professor of psychiatry
and an epidemiologist. He directs the child psychiatry division at McGill University
in Canada
and the psychiatry department at the Montreal Children's Hospital
, where he played a key role in the launch of its autism clinic. Fombonne is also the Canada Research Chair in child psychiatry. His research focuses on epidemiological
investigations of childhood mental illness
and related risk factors, with a particular focus on the epidemiology of autism
.
Fombonne is a permanent member of a National Institute of Mental Health
(NIMH) study section and has been appointed to a special National Institute of Health (NIH) advisory board for autism research programs. In October, 2002 he became the president of the Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of Canada (APCAPC).
, King's College
in London
, United Kingdom
, where he also worked as a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Maudsley Hospital
. While there, he and his colleagues were credited with demonstrating that there is no epidemiological evidence of a link between the MMR vaccine
with autism, as postulated by other researchers including Andrew Wakefield
. A New Scientist
article quotes Fombonne as saying "Trying to link this with MMR is complete nonsense."
One of the major studies conducted by Fombonne examined depression, which linked alcohol abuse to increased suicidal
tendencies in boys, using data on 6,000 subjects.
At McGill University, Fombonne has consolidated the Autism Spectrum Disorder program in Montreal since his appointment there in 2001. He currently heads an autism research program directed at evaluating environmental risk factors, such as vaccine
s, and investigating genetic risks associated with the heritability of autism
. He has also been involved in molecular genetic studies of clinical depression
, and in long-term outcome studies of child and adolescent depression.
of available epidemiological evidence of the prevalence of autism. His review concluded that the prevalence rate for autism is 10/10,000 and the rate of all pervasive developmental disorders around 27/10,000. However, he also noted several more recent studies indicating a much higher prevalence rate than this with a broader inclusion basis - he estimates this number to be around 60-70/10,000. He attributes the apparent rise in autism cases to wider recognition of the condition, and argues that claims of an 'autism epidemic' are unfounded. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1170424.stm In 2001, he told the BBC
"That rates in recent surveys are substantially higher than 30 years ago merely reflects the adoption of a much broader concept of autism, a recognition of autism among normally intelligent subjects and an improved identification of persons with autism."
ed journals and 35 book chapters. He was associate editor of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
from 1994 to 2003.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) is a professor of psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
and an epidemiologist. He directs the child psychiatry division at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the psychiatry department at the Montreal Children's Hospital
Montreal Children's Hospital
The Montreal Children's Hospital is a tertiary care pediatric teaching Hospital affiliated with the McGill University Health Centre. It is also the only pediatric facility serving the McGill Réseau Universitaire Intégré Santé...
, where he played a key role in the launch of its autism clinic. Fombonne is also the Canada Research Chair in child psychiatry. His research focuses on epidemiological
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...
investigations of childhood mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
and related risk factors, with a particular focus on the epidemiology of autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
.
Fombonne is a permanent member of a National Institute of Mental Health
National Institute of Mental Health
The National Institute of Mental Health is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health...
(NIMH) study section and has been appointed to a special National Institute of Health (NIH) advisory board for autism research programs. In October, 2002 he became the president of the Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of Canada (APCAPC).
Research
Prior to his arrival in Canada, Fombonne was a researcher at the Institute of PsychiatryInstitute of Psychiatry
The Institute of Psychiatry is a research institution dedicated to discovering what causes mental illness and diseases of the brain. In addition, its aim is to help identify new treatments for them and ways to prevent them in the first place...
, King's College
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where he also worked as a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Maudsley Hospital
Maudsley Hospital
The Maudsley Hospital is a British psychiatric hospital in South London. The Maudsley is the largest mental health training institution in the country...
. While there, he and his colleagues were credited with demonstrating that there is no epidemiological evidence of a link between the MMR vaccine
MMR vaccine
The MMR vaccine is an immunization shot against measles, mumps, and rubella . It was first developed by Maurice Hilleman while at Merck in the late 1960s....
with autism, as postulated by other researchers including Andrew Wakefield
Andrew Wakefield
Andrew Wakefield is a British former surgeon and medical researcher, known as an advocate for the discredited claim that there is a link between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, autism and bowel disease, and for his fraudulent 1998 research paper in support of that claim.Four years after...
. A New Scientist
New Scientist
New Scientist is a weekly non-peer-reviewed English-language international science magazine, which since 1996 has also run a website, covering recent developments in science and technology for a general audience. Founded in 1956, it is published by Reed Business Information Ltd, a subsidiary of...
article quotes Fombonne as saying "Trying to link this with MMR is complete nonsense."
One of the major studies conducted by Fombonne examined depression, which linked alcohol abuse to increased suicidal
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
tendencies in boys, using data on 6,000 subjects.
At McGill University, Fombonne has consolidated the Autism Spectrum Disorder program in Montreal since his appointment there in 2001. He currently heads an autism research program directed at evaluating environmental risk factors, such as vaccine
Vaccine
A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins...
s, and investigating genetic risks associated with the heritability of autism
Heritability of autism
The heritability of autism is the proportion of autism that can be explained by genetic variation; if the heritability of a condition is high, then the condition is considered to be primarily genetic...
. He has also been involved in molecular genetic studies of clinical depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
, and in long-term outcome studies of child and adolescent depression.
Prevalence of autism
Fombonne recently conducted a metanalysisMetanalysis
In linguistics, metanalysis is the act of breaking down a word or phrase into segments or meanings not original to it. The term was coined by the linguist Otto Jespersen, from Greek elements meaning "a change of breakdown"....
of available epidemiological evidence of the prevalence of autism. His review concluded that the prevalence rate for autism is 10/10,000 and the rate of all pervasive developmental disorders around 27/10,000. However, he also noted several more recent studies indicating a much higher prevalence rate than this with a broader inclusion basis - he estimates this number to be around 60-70/10,000. He attributes the apparent rise in autism cases to wider recognition of the condition, and argues that claims of an 'autism epidemic' are unfounded. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1170424.stm In 2001, he told the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
"That rates in recent surveys are substantially higher than 30 years ago merely reflects the adoption of a much broader concept of autism, a recognition of autism among normally intelligent subjects and an improved identification of persons with autism."
Published works
Fombonne has written over 170 scientific reports in peer reviewPeer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
ed journals and 35 book chapters. He was associate editor of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders publishes 10 issues per year and is a scholarly journal focusing on all aspects of autism spectrum disorders and related developmental disabilities....
from 1994 to 2003.
External links
- BBC.co.uk - 'Autism rates "not rising"', BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
(February 15, 2001) - CAIRNE-Sitr.com - 'One in 165 children now estimated to have pervasive developmental disorder, three times greater than previously thought', Eric Fombonne, MD, FRCPsych, Canadian Autism Intervention and Research Network
- Chairs.gc.ca - 'Eric Fonbonne', Canada Research Chair in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Canada Research ChairsCanada Research ChairsCanada Research Chairs are Canadian university research professorships created through the Canada Research Chairs Program.- Program goals :...
- CPA-APC.org - 'Modern Views of Autism' (opinion), Eric Fombonne, MD, FRCPsych, Canadian Journal of PsychiatryCanadian Journal of PsychiatryThe Canadian Journal of Psychiatry/Revue canadienne de psychiatrie is the official journal of the Canadian Psychiatric Association. It was established in 1956 as the Canadian Psychiatric Association Journal and obtained its current title in 1979....
(September, 2003) - MUHC.ca - 'Dr. Eric Fombonne elected to head two key associations', McGill University Research Center (September 24, 2002)
- UCDavis.edu - 'Eric Fombonne, M.D.: M.I.N.D. Institute Distinguished Lecturer Series' (December 14, 2005)
- UoGuelph.ca - 'The Prevalence of Autism' (opinion), Eric Fombonne, MD, Journal of the American Medical AssociationJournal of the American Medical AssociationThe Journal of the American Medical Association is a weekly, peer-reviewed, medical journal, published by the American Medical Association. Beginning in July 2011, the editor in chief will be Howard C. Bauchner, vice chairman of pediatrics at Boston University’s School of Medicine, replacing ...
(JAMA), vol 289, no 1, p 49 (January 1, 2003)