23/02/2023
Professional Background
Philippe Parola underwent specialized medical training in Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine in the University Hospitals of Marseille. After having obtained both MD and PhD degrees at the Faculty of Medicine of Marseille, France, he was a post-doctoral fellow at the Laboratory of Public Health Entomology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA and the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS) in Bangkok, Thailand. He has attended the Gorgas Expert Course in Clinical Tropical Medicine, in Lima, Peru. He also spent a total of 5 years for clinical and/or research/teaching activities in tropical settings in Africa, particularly Western Africa, Indian Ocean Islands and Asia.
University and Hospital Appointments
Philippe Parola is now full Professor of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, at the Faculty of Medicine, Aix- Marseille University, Marseille, France. There, he is Director in charge of the Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Residency program. He has created a course of medical entomology, and a course of tropical medicine. His clinical medical activities takes place in the University Hospital Institute Méditerrannée Infection in Marseille, where he leads the Acute Infectious Diseases Unit. He is particularly involved in management of patients with acute and severe infectious diseases including COVID19, as well as ill returned travellers, including those with imported malaria, dengue, chikungunya, rickettsioses...
Research
His research interest includes medical entomology, particularly tick-borne diseases, travel medicine and emerging infectious diseases. By January 1st, 2023, Philippe Parola has co-authored more than 620 publications in the international literature. He has also written 20 book chapters. He has published major studies and reviews in the field of vector borne diseases, tropical medicine, rickettsiology, travel medicine, infectious diseases and medical entomology. H index: 61.
Director
Professor Philippe Parola has been the Director of the WHO Collaborative Center (FRA 75) for Rickettsial and other Arthropod Borne Bacterial Diseases (2010-2015). In the field of travel medicine, he has been Director (2010-2016) of EuroTravNet, the European Centre for Diseases Control collaborative Network for Travel and Tropical Medicine, a daughter network of Geosentinel, the global surveillance network of ISTM and CDC; and Director Europe (2011-2014) of Geosentinel. He is now the Director of the VITROME (Vectors – Tropical and Mediterranean Infection) Research Unit (www.vitrome.fr). This research unit includes 5 teams located at the IHU Méditerranée Infection in Marseille France, 1 in Dakar Senegal, 1 in Algeria and collaborative teams in Niger, Mali, and Mauritania. Since 2019 he is also Director of a reference center of tick-borne diseases.
International Networks
Philippe Parola has been for 10 years the Chair of International Relationships at the Faculty of Medicine at Aix Marseille University. He was particularly connected with international partners in Western Africa and South eastern Asia. Currently, he coordinates two networks in the field of emerging infectious diseases and medical entomology, including one in Western Africa, and another in the Mediterranean area.
Reservist
Philippe Parola is reservist for the French Army Health Service, with the rank of Médecin en Chef (Colonel). His unit supports the 1er Régiment Etranger de Cavalerie, in the South of France (French Foreign Legion). He has participated to several oversea missions, including in Chad, Ivory Coast, Bosnia and Kosovo, and French Guyana.
Awards
Philippe Parola is Chevalier dans l'Ordre National du Mérite (French for "Knight in the National Order of Merit") and Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques (French for "Knight in the Order of Academic Palms"). He has received several prizes and awards including the French Academy of Medicine Award (Exotic Pathology/Tropical Medicine). He received, the Silver Medal of Public Health of Niger, and the Medal of Chevalier de l'Ordre de l'Etoile de la Grande Comoro, Union of the Comoros. Thanks to his activities in the French army health service and oversea missions, Philippe Parola has received a total of 7 medals including the Combatant Cross, the Overseas Medal and the Recognition Medal of the Nation.
Vecteurs - Infections Tropicales et Méditerranéennes
