Professor Francine Behar-Cohen has been medical director of the Jules-Gonin Eye Hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland, since 2013 and is a full professor at the University of Lausanne and the Paris Descartes University. She is director of the ‘Physiopathology of ocular diseases: Therapeutic innovations’ team at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research in the Cordeliers Research Center in Paris. Professor Behar-Cohen is also the founder of start-up companies, Optis France now Eyegate Pharma and of Eyevensys S.A.S. for which she serves as its scientific advisor. In addition to her medical degree, Professor Behar-Cohen has obtained a diploma of advanced studies in cell biology, a diploma of specialized studies in ophthalmology, and a PhD in biology at the Paris Descartes University.
Professor Behar-Cohen has received awards for her research, including the Research Prize of the French Society of Ophthalmology, and is a member of numerous societies and scientific commissions. She is a member of the editorial board of Molecular Vision and the Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, TVST, Progress Retinal Eye Research and has published over 190 articles and a dozen books or book chapters.
Professor Behar-Cohen’s research interests include the development of innovative treatments and methods of administration for drugs in the eye, particularly for diseases of the retina, and mechanisms of action of steroids and anti-VEGFs in the retina. She has introduced the use of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists for the treatment of central serous chorioretinopathy.
