Elio Riboli

Professor Elio Riboli’s career started at the Department of Epidemiology of the National Institute of Cancer, Milan (1978-1983). In 1983 Elio was appointed Medical Officer in Epidemiology at the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organisation-United Nations (IARC-WHO) based in Lyon, France. While at IARC in the mid 1980’s, he engaged a novel area of research focusing on the role of diet, nutrition and endogenous hormones in cancer aetiology. These research activities led him to identify the need of establishing very large population-based longitudinal cohorts, supported by biobanks, designed to better investigate and understand the role of behavioural, metabolic and genetic factors in the aetiology of cancer and other common chronic diseases. In 1992 this materialised into the initiation of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), supported by the “Europe against Cancer” programme of the EC. As the coordinator of EPIC, his research has focused on the role of diet, physical activity, obesity, reproductive and hormonal characteristics in cancer causation and their potential impact on cancer prevention. In 2006 Elio moved from IARC to Imperial College where he was initially appointed Professor and Chair in Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention and in 2008 the Director of the School of Public Health. At Imperial College, he has continued his research in cancer epidemiology, extending his interests to the interactions between genetic predisposition and lifestyle and metabolic factors, as well as to the association between these factors and life expectancy and premature death. Elio has co-authored over 900 peer-reviewed publications, of which over 600 based on EPIC and more than 100 book chapters. Elio has served on editorial boards of major journals on nutrition, cancer, epidemiology and medicine .He is also on national and international committees addressing health policies in relation to cancer epidemiology/prevention and nutrition.