Henri Joyeux (; born 28 June 1945) is a French oncologic surgeon, nutrition specialist and writer.

Biography

Following graduation from the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier () is a public university, public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous opera ...

, Joyeux became a surgeon in general

oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's Etymology, etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγ ...

in 1972, and a professor in digestive surgery and oncology. He worked at the Curie Institute of Paris from 1992 to 1997 and became a member of the

New York Academy of Sciences The New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS), originally founded as the Lyceum of Natural History in January 1817, is a nonprofit professional society based in New York City, with more than 20,000 members from 100 countries. It is the fourth-oldes ...

in 1992. He wrote a number of general-interest books about health and nutrition. In the year 2000, he began making appearances on television and delivering talks. He was a member of the

French Economic, Social and Environmental Council The Economic, Social and Environmental Council ( French: ''Conseil économique, social et environnemental''), known as the Economic and Social Council before the constitutional law of 23 July 2008, is a consultative assembly in France. It doe ...

from 2010 to 2015. His skeptical views on vaccination and on non-traditional families have made him a controversial figure.

Education

Joyeux was born in

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

, where he studied medicine. He graduated from the

in 1972 with a PhD thesis on artificial gut with total parenteral nutrition.

Medical career

In 1973, Joyeux became surgeon at the Regional Cancer Institute of Montpellier. He was also appointed director of the Laboratory of Nutrition and Experimental Oncology at the Cancer Institute of Montpellier in 1972. In 1980, he became professor of

at the

, and then professor of

general surgery General surgery is a Surgical specialties, surgical specialty that focuses on alimentary canal and Abdomen, abdominal contents including the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, Appendix (anatomy ...

in 1986. Joyeux was awarded the Antoine Lacassagne award in 1986 for his research on artificial nutrition and its therapeutic use in digestive track cancers. He joined the Curie Institute of Paris as head of the Visceral and Digestive Surgery Department in 1992 and became a member of the

on the same year. Two years later, in 1994, he became a member of the French National Academy of Surgery. In 2008, he was made ''Chevalier'' (Knight) of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

for "41 years of service in civil, military and associative activities". He retired in 2014.

Politics, society and publication

Political activity

Joyeux was elected as municipal councillor in Ornaisons, a small commune in the Aude department, in 1983. His term ended in 1989. During the

1989 European Parliament election The 1989 European Parliament election was a held on June Wednesday 15 to Sunday 18 across the 12 European Union member state in June 1989. It was the third European Parliament election but the first time that Spain and Portugal voted at the sam ...

, he led a list named "L'Alliance" (center-right) which obtained 0.75% of the votes cast (136,230 votes).

Family

In 2001, he was elected as president of Familles de France, a family association. He held this position until 2013. During his term, he joined the National Union of Family Associations (UNAF) as vice-president. In 2013, he publicly opposed the bill allowing

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

and adoption for same-sex couples From 2010 to 2015, as vice-president of the UNAF, he was a member of the

Health and nutrition

In 2001, Joyeux initiated the first "fruit pub" in a school with the intention of combating the influence of food advertising and its perceived promotion of poor dietary habits among children and young adolescents. The initiative sought to encourage students to opt for fruits over snacks and candies during breaks. Joyeux wrote a number of books on nutrition and health. Many of his books were best-sellers, with ''Changez d’alimentation'' selling over 500,000 copies.

Controversy

Joyeux is a vaccine sceptic, and warns against perceived dangers of vaccinations on Facebook. In 2020 the French National Council of the Order of Physicians lodged a complaint against six health professionals, including Joyeux, over remarks they made regarding the effectiveness of

Covid-19 vaccines A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Knowledge about the structure and func ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joyeux, Henri 1945 births Living people University of Montpellier alumni French oncologists 20th-century French physicians 20th-century French politicians 21st-century French physicians