Yorkshire professor to lead cancer fight
A PROFESSOR from the University of Leeds has been made a director of The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Professor Chris Wild, who is currently director of the Leeds Institute of Genetics, Health and Therapeutics (LIGHT), takes up the new post in Lyon, France, in January 2009.
He will retain the title of honorary Professor of Molecular Epidemiology at the University of Leeds and continue to collaborate with colleagues at LIGHT on research into the cancer risks of natural occurring dietary toxins in Africa.
Professor Wild was a scientist at IARC before joining the Faculty of Medicine and Health at Leeds in 1996.
As director of IARC he will collaborate closely with the WHO secretariat and influence and inform on global cancer prevention strategies with particular emphasis on low and middle income countries.
Professor Michael Arthur, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leeds, said: “Chris has made a significant contribution to enhancing the University’s reputation as a centre of excellence in medical and scientific research. In this new prestigious role Chris will be one of the world’s leading figures in cancer prevention, and we are delighted that he is able to maintain his links with the university.”
