Dr. Stéphane Richard, a member of our Medical Advisory Board, has just won a very prestigious prize – Victories of Medicine. His submission: “A multidisciplinary approach to von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL). From early diagnosis to targeted therapies: real hope for patients.” Professor Richard directs the Urological Service of the Institute Gustave Roussy, a the Hospital of Bicêtre, a southern suburb of Paris.

The selection of candidates was conducted in partnership among the Network of University Hospital Centers (CHRU), the medical commissions of the hospital centres, the learned medical societies, and the associations representing the various specialties. A prize would be awarded in front of a large audience to honor these initiatives in prevention, health information, or public health.

On Thursday the 23rd of November 2006, the Variety Theater in Paris rolled out its red carpet in honor of medical progress. More than 1000 persons representing the world of medicine were able to follow in great detail the 2006 panorama of therapeutic advances in the various categories: the war on cancer, against diabetes, against cardiovascular illnesses, surgery, specific technologies, and, for the first time, the quality of nursing care. To select the 7 winners among the 17 nominees, the 700 doctors present for the award ceremony elected by electronic voting the most outstanding innovations.

Over the past 15 years, Dr. Richard has assembled an excellent team [pictured below] and a group of some 50 collaborators throughout the French-speaking world to study VHL. They have published an impressive number of papers in French and in English which have expanded our knowledge of VHL and how to treat it. Through his efforts, France has one of the largest national databases of all people diagnosed with VHL in all of France, which has given us a unique population-based view of VHL. Even so, there are many more people without a diagnosis.

Pierre Regnault, mayor of the town of La Roche sur Yon in western France where Dr. Richard went to school, recounts in his “blog” a conversation with the poet Antoine Richard, father of Stéphane: “Mr. Antoine Richard, running into me at the opening of the department store Galeries Lafayette in Lyon Friday night, had reason to be proud. His son, Professor Stéphane Richard, a former student of the Edward Herriot College and Pierre Mendès-France High School, had just been elected one of the laureates of the Victories of Medicine. This prestigious prize honors Stéphane Richard for his work in cancer research. He is now director of the Oncogenetics Service of the Bicêtre Hospital and the laboratory of urologic oncology of the Gustave Roussy Institute in Paris. His work has allowed him to improve hope for life and quality of life for his patients. All our congratulations!”

On November 23, the Variety Theater in Paris was the scene of a television event honoring leaders in achievement in medicine from throughout France. [photo reseau-chu.org]

Some members of Dr. Richard's team. Left to right: Sophie Gad (post-doc), Prof. Léon Olivier (former boss), Sandrine Lefèvre (former post-doc), Prof. Richard holding his award trophy, Guy Allègre, Betty Gardie-Capdeville, Charline Ladroue (Thèsarde), Delphine Caiola (Lab technician), Marie-Laurence (Mrs. Richard), Professor Gérard Benoit (Urologist), Dr. Nathalie Reims (one of the managers of the Cancer service of the Hospitals of Paris).

Sources : www.victoires-medecine.com, http://www.reseau-chu.org, Dimanche 26 novembre, www.leblogdepierreregnault.com, Delphine Caiola

As printed in the VHL Family Forum 15:1, January 2007. For permission to reprint, please contact VHL Family Alliance, editor@vhl.org. Further information is available from the VHL Family Alliance, info@vhl.org.