Benoît Lamarche is Full Professor at the School of Nutrition and Chair of Nutrition at Laval University. He is also the Scientific Director of the FRQS-funded Research Center on Nutrition, Health and Society (NUTRISS). He has published more than 390 peer-reviewed papers on physiological, clinical, epidemiological and public health issues related to food and health. He has contributed the training of more than 65 MSc, PhD students and postdocs. He has received numerous awards, including awards from the Société Québécoise de lipidologie, nutrition et métabolisme (Prix des Fondateurs, 2013) and the Canadian Nutrition Society (Centrum New Investigator Award, 2011 and the Khursheed Jeejeebhoy Award, 2020). He has co-written two books with the acclaimed Chef Jean Soulard on the topics of nutrition, sport and health. Benoît Lamarche is an Olympian (1984, 1988) in long track speed skating.
My research journey is one dedicated to understanding the intricate association between nutrition and health. I have done so through many different lenses and approaches, including physiological and mechanistic studies as well clinical and population health research. My research has been mostly focussed on investigating the impact of dietary fats, of foods and of whole diets on cardiometabolic health. A significant proportion (P < 0.05!) of this research hinges on amazing and respectful collaborations with several of my peers from across Canada, many of which I now consider friends. But beyond the papers and the travel and the satisfaction of getting funded, I believe a research career only becomes truly meaningful through the success and advancement of the students we as researchers have the privilege to mentor. To hope for any form of success in research, one needs to have the ability to recognize and associate with people of talent. But to enjoy this line of work, despite all of its challenges, one needs to associate with collaborators and students who also have great human skills, including respect, determination, rigor and a solid dose of humor. This presentation is a tribute to all of those who have made this ongoing research journey enjoyable and fun.