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Isabelle Laffont, Dean of the School of Medicine, shared her New Year’s greetings for 2024. Video of the speech
The Dean of the School of Medicine and all the administrative and academic staff at our institution extend their best wishes to you for 2022. To mark the occasion, watch our Dean, Isabelle Laffont, share her New Year’s greetings in this video.
“I would like to take this opportunity to commend the exceptional dedication of our teams and the adaptability you have all demonstrated in dealing with these challenging circumstances.”
“2021 was a busy year, a positive year, and a successful year, even though it unfolded against the backdrop of a challenging pandemic. I would like to take this opportunity to commend the exceptional dedication of our teams and the adaptability you have all demonstrated in dealing with these difficult circumstances.”
“We are kicking off 2022, a year I hope will be marked by reconciliation, progress, and responsibility.”
“I wish for us all—and for each of you—a peaceful 2022, one that brings a sense of calm back to the COVID front, with the end of this pandemic and its health and societal consequences. I wish you a peaceful 2022, one that also sees the stabilization of the many reforms to medical education that have taken place in recent years. It is time to take a step back and focus on all the programs offered by this faculty. »
“I wish for us all a productive 2022. Productive, first and foremost, in the area of medical education reform, with the implementation of thepostgraduate reform, which will require our time and energy over the next two years. We will also be developing and finalizing the Faculty of Medicine’s health-related master’s programs. And finally, still in the realm of education, the rollout and organization of health simulation, which will play an increasingly significant role in our faculty organizations.”
“Finally, I hope that 2022 will be a year of responsibility. I’ve spoken about social responsibility in the context of territoriality, but I’m also referring to institutional responsibility: the university must continue to take care of itself and its community. It must further strengthen the sense of belonging that staff members feel toward university initiatives.”
“I also hope you’ll continue to maintain the enthusiasm and creativity that define you.”
On Wednesday, December 15, 2021, the dean’s election for the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine took place. Following the vote, Isabelle Laffont, a professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation, was elected dean of the faculty, making her the first woman to hold this position in the faculty’s 800-year history.
A dedicated woman
Isabelle Laffont was born in Toulouse in 1965. After studying medicine at the University of Paris-Ouest, where she earned a degree in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in 1995, she began working as a hospital practitioner (PH) at the Montpellier University Hospital in 2008. In 2011, she was awarded the title of University Professor – Hospital Practitioner. Her career has since been marked by her commitment to both teaching and research.
In fact, Isabelle Laffont joined the Faculty in 2014. She served as a member of the graduate medical studies curriculum committee. She also became a member of the Faculty Management Council of the Faculty, where she was appointed Project Manager for the University Integration of Paramedical Professions and Regionalization in 2018. During this term, Professor Laffont established a groundbreaking and pioneering program in the Faculty’s history: that of Advanced Practice Nurses. In addition, she contributed to the creation of new tracks within the Master of Health program at the UFR, and was particularly involved in the REHAB tracktrack, dedicated to rehabilitation professionals and other fields, for which she serves as academic director alongside Prof. Arnaud Dupeyron and Dr. Anthony Gelis.
In addition to her teaching responsibilities, she is also actively involved in the life of the Montpellier University Hospital, becoming a permanent guest of the Board of Directors in 2011. Finally, she is active in professional societies: she heads the SOFMER (French Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) for three years from 2019 to 2021 and currently serves as secretary general of the ISPRM (International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine) for the past two years.
“A clear vision for the future of our Faculty”
Building on this experience and her strong commitment to teaching, Isabelle Laffont is running in the 2021 deanery elections to succeed Dean Mondain. At the close of voting, she won the election with 31 of the 40 votes cast, making these elections historic: she becomes the first woman to hold the office of Dean since the Faculty’s founding 800 years ago, in 1220.
Dean Isabelle Laffont states in her mission statement to have a “clear 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.”
It is committed to a strong educational initiative, aimed at stabilizing medical and paramedical programs—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 priority during her term. She also intends to continue the work already underway to improve the Faculty’s resources (completion of the Nîmes site, renovation of the historic building, and construction of the Learning Center on the ADV campus).
The Research is a key component of its mission, with a strong commitment to developing activities related to applied clinical research, basic research, and translational research. Links with regional health research stakeholders are crucial: the University of Montpellier, research organizations (INSERM, CNRS, etc.), the University Hospitals of Nîmes and Montpellier, and the IRCM. As such, the Faculty of Medicine will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of medicine and health innovations. It will support research training by promoting dual-track programs for our young students.
Finally, the new Dean outlines her vision for social responsibility of the Faculty of Medicine through various compassionate initiatives: addressing psychosocial risks, improving quality of life at work, and fostering 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.
