Serge Hercberg

Serge Hercberg is a prominent French epidemiologist and nutritionist, currently serving as Professor of Nutrition at Sorbonne Paris Nord University (formerly Paris 13) and Hospital Practitioner in the Department of Public Health at Avicenne Hospital in Bobigny. He directs INSERM unit 1153 (EREN), the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team, which operates under the UMR Inserm/Inra/Cnam/Sorbonne Paris Nord University framework. Hercberg previously chaired the National Nutrition and Health Program (PNNS) from 2001 to 2018 and serves on the High Council for Public Health since 2007.

His educational background includes a doctorate in medicine from Pierre-et-Marie-Curie University (1979) and a State Doctorate of Science from Paris-Diderot University (1986), followed by post-doctoral training at the University of Kansas Medical Center. His career trajectory spans research at the Scientific and Technical Institute of Nutrition and Food (CNAM), INSERM researcher (1988-2005), and Professor-Hospital Practitioner at Sorbonne Paris Nord University.

Hercberg's research focuses on nutritional epidemiology, particularly large-scale cohort studies examining the relationship between diet and health outcomes. His work has significantly influenced public health nutrition policy in France and internationally. He pioneered several major studies including the Val-de-Marne Study (1988), Min.Vit.Aox, SU.VI.MAX studies (1994-2009), and currently leads the ongoing NutriNet-Santé cohort study (since 2009) which has enrolled over 170,000 participants. His research has directly informed the development of the Nutri-Score labeling system, now widely adopted across Europe.

The articles attributed to Professor Hercberg demonstrate a consistent focus on translating nutritional epidemiology research into actionable public health policy. His recent publications increasingly address the political and industrial challenges of implementing evidence-based nutrition policies, particularly regarding food labeling systems and industry influence on dietary guidelines. His work spans both technical scientific contributions and broader policy advocacy, reflecting his dual role as researcher and public health leader.

• Research Prize from the French Institute for Nutrition (1997)
• Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Gembloux (Belgium) (2009)
• Daniel Hermann Prize from the Institut de France (Académie des Sciences) (2014)
• Top 1% of most cited researchers in the world (2018-2021)
• Prize from the independent newspaper 'Prescrire' for 'Mange et tais-toi' (2023)

Hercberg has directed numerous doctoral theses, including advising Jean François Buyck in 2009 on dietary sodium and potassium intake. His research has been consistently funded through INSERM and public health agencies rather than private industry, reflecting his principled stance against industry funding since the late 2000s. His NutriNet-Santé study represents one of the most ambitious publicly funded nutrition research initiatives in Europe, designed specifically to maintain independence from food industry influence.

Professor Hercberg leads the Nutritional Surveillance and Epidemiology Unit (USEN) and the EREN research team (INSERM unit 1153), which includes epidemiologists, nutritionists, statisticians, and public health specialists. His teams have been instrumental in developing France's national nutritional surveillance system and creating evidence bases for public health nutrition policies. The NutriNet-Santé platform represents a significant technological innovation in nutritional epidemiology, using web-based data collection to monitor dietary patterns and health outcomes in real-time across a large population.