Christian Ducrot – Animal health epidemiologist, research director at UMR ASTRE (testimonial from the dossier “INRAE scientists in ANSES collective assessments” -2021)
“As a veterinary epidemiologist, I joined INRAE in 1997 to develop studies on prion diseases (BSE, scrapie) at the height of the mad cow crisis. We set up studies using rapid screening tests and I was immediately involved in the interministerial groups on these diseases, with a lot of data at stake and research questions on which we worked for 10 years! It boosted my career. As a bonus, we soon saw the repercussions in the regulations. That got me into the expert appraisal business and I joined the first committee of experts at Afssa, which has since become Anses, and then several working groups. For me, research and expertise are mutually nourishing. I’m currently taking part in the Anses Scientific Council’s working group on the “Credibility of scientific expertise”, chaired by Pierre-Benoît Joly. The public declaration of interests that experts sign is essential, but it does not guarantee the credibility of the expertise in the eyes of the public. Involving citizens in expert assessments would be a solution worth trying out, but there would need to be safeguards.
Testimonial from our thematic dossier
Thematic dossier
INRAE scientists in ANSES collective assessments
Expertise is a clearly stated mission of INRAE in the INRAE 2030 strategic plan. It mobilises the skills of scientists acquired through their research and puts them at the service of collective issues. This mission takes a variety of forms, including providing expert advice to public agencies. Every year, around a hundred scientists from the Institute contribute their expertise to the French National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (Anses) and sit on a number of Anses committees.
In early 2020, the Anses sent us a list of all INRAE scientists appointed to the agency’s various expert groups as at 1 January 2020. This data provides a “snapshot” of INRAE scientists working as experts in the Agency’s various groups.
In order to publicise, share and document this expertise and public policy support activity, the Public Policy Support Division has carried out an analysis of this data. This summary also presents the Anses and the expert function within this agency, a non-academic public partner with which INRAE maintains close links.
