Jean-Paul Galmiche, winner of the UEG Lifetime Achievement Award 2012

Jean-Paul Galmiche graduated as MD in 1974 in Rouen University and was appointed as Professor of Gastroenterology in Nantes University in 1984. In Nantes, he progressively built a group of clinicians and scientists closely linking basic and translational research.

Professor Galmiche's contribution in the field of GERD and esophageal functional disorders is especially remarkable. He played a major role in developing new concepts like esophageal hypersensitivity, modern esophageal function tests as well as management strategies. He participated in major working groups like the LA and Montreal classifications of GERD, the Rome III classification and the BADCAT working group for Barrett’s esophagus. Professor Galmiche also participated in the development of new imaging endoscopic technologies like capsule endoscopy and endo-microscopy and his group initiated several collaborative international collaborations in this field.

Professor Galmiche funded a lab accredited by INSERM which specialized in Neurogastroenterology. In this lab, many innovative approaches and models were developed, allowing analysis of the crosstalk between the enteric nervous system and the epithelial intestinal barrier. Professor Galmiche has also initiated many clinical and experimental studies, investigating the effects of short fatty acids on GI motility, cell signaling and immunity, especially during inflammation and cancer. Professor Galmiche put in lot of effort to enable clinicians and scientists to work together, with different approaches on the same project; that's why he funded, in Nantes, a very successful institute promoting translational research between scientists and clinicians.

Professor Galmiche’s contribution to the scientific literature is outstanding. He has published more than 500 original articles, reviews and book chapters, of which 320 of these are referenced in PubMed. He has been a member of many editorial boards.

In France, Professor Galmiche has had many administrative functions and distinctions (Vice President of INSERM, member of the National Council of Universities, President of the French Society of Gastroenterology. In Europe, his activity was characterized by a continuous and remarkable investment in favor of European Gastroenterology. Jean-Paul Galmiche is a not only a member of several European Societies of Gastroenterology but he also actively participated to the development of European institutions as Councillor of the EAGE since 1989 and President of EAGE (1996–1998). He organized under the auspices of EAGE several sessions of European School of Gastroenterology. He was a member of the Scientific Committee of UEGF in charge of coordination of the upper GI group and organisation of post-graduate courses.