2021 Dean Elections: Prof. Isabelle Laffont elected Dean
On Wednesday, December 15, 2021, elections were held for the dean of the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine. At the end of the vote, Isabelle Laffont, Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, was elected Dean of the Faculty, making her the first woman to hold this position in 800 years of history.
A committed woman
Isabelle Laffont was born in Toulouse in 1965. After studying medicine at the Paris-Ouest Faculty, where she graduated in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in 1995, she took up the position of hospital practitioner (PH) at Montpellier University Hospital in 2008. In 2011, she was awarded the title of University Professor – Hospital Practitioner. This was followed by a career marked by her commitment to both teaching and research.
Isabelle Laffont joined the faculty in 2014. She then served as a member of the teaching committee for the second cycle of medical studies. She also became a member of the management board of the Faculty, where she was appointed Project Manager for the University Integration of Paramedical Professions and Regionalization in 2018. During her term of office, Professor Laffont set up a new and pioneering course in the history of the Faculty: that of Advanced Practice Nursing. In addition, she contributed to the creation of new courses for the Master's in Health at the UFR, and was particularly involved in the REHABprogram, dedicated to rehabilitation professionals and other fields, for which she is the academic director, alongside Prof. Arnaud Dupeyron and Dr. Anthony Gelis.
Alongside her teaching commitments, she is also involved in the life of the Montpellier University Hospital, becoming a permanent guest of the Board of Directors in 2011. Finally, she is involved in learned societies: she heads the SOFMER (French Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) for three years from 2019 to 2021 and currently holds the position of Secretary General of ISPRM (International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine) for the past two years.
“A clear vision for the future of our Faculty”
With this experience and her strong commitment to teaching, Isabelle Laffont ran in the 2021 dean elections to succeed Dean Mondain. At the end of the vote, she won the election with 31 of the 40 votes cast, making these elections historic: she became the first woman to hold the position of Dean since the faculty was founded 800 years ago, in 1220.
Dean Isabelle Laffont states in her statement of faith to have a "strong vision for the future of our Faculty," centered on the values of Excellence, Balance, and Openness. Its governance will be "caring, respectful of the women and men who enable our institution to fulfill its missions, and attentive to the students for whom we are responsible."
She is committed to a strong educational project, aimed at stabilizing medical and paramedical studies, which are regularly subject to reform, and making the necessary adjustments. The well-being of students, faculty staff, and teaching teams will be a key guiding principle during her term of office. She also wishes to continue the work already underway to improve the faculty's resources (completion of work on the Nîmes site, renovation of the historic building, and construction of the Learning Center on the ADV campus).
The research is an important part of its project, with a strong commitment to developing activities related to applied clinical research, basic research, and translational research. Links with health research stakeholders in the region are very important: University of Montpellier, research organizations (INSERM, CNRS, etc.), Nîmes and Montpellier University Hospitals, IRCM. As such, the Faculty of Medicine will play a decisive role in shaping the vision of tomorrow's medicine and innovations in health. It will support research training by promoting dual degree programs for our young students.
Finally, the new Dean highlights her vision of social responsibility of the Faculty of Medicine through various benevolent initiatives: taking into account psychosocial risks, improving quality of life at work, and developing a culture of belonging and team dynamics. Isabelle Laffont's deanship will be one of collective intelligence.
The entire faculty community extends its best wishes for success to Dean Laffont.
