July 2026
A new chapter opens for MEDES!
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Frédéric Hammel as Executive Director of MEDES, succeeding Audrey Berthier.
✨ Thank you, Audrey Berthier! After many years by our side, including 6 years at the helm of the Institute, Audrey Berthier is passing the baton and preparing to join CNES in early October.
Under her leadership, MEDES has consolidated its role as a key player in space medical research, serving both astronauts and healthcare on Earth. We salute her immense professionalism, her dedication to her work and her teams, and the crucial role she played in the growth of our structure. A huge thank you!
💫 Welcome, Frederic Hammel! A biologist by training with over 30 years of entrepreneurial experience in the healthcare sector – ranging from biotechnology and medical devices to analytical methods -, Frederic Hammel brings his key expertise to MEDES to support ambitious innovation and strategic development projects in healthcare.
His dual scientific and managerial background will be a major asset in steering the Institute’s future projects, whether in space medicine, clinical research, or technological developments at the crossroads of health and space.
The entire team at MEDES is delighted to welcome Frederic Hammel to write this new chapter together, meet the challenges of future space exploration, and continue pushing the boundaries of medicine!
This appointment was proposed by Mr. Jean-François LEFEBVRE, President of the GIE (Economic Interest Group) and Director General of the University Hospitals of Toulouse (CHU de Toulouse), and approved by MEDES – Institute for Space Medicine and Physiology members during the last General Assembly held on June 24th, for an official takeover in early July. (Members: CHU de Toulouse, CNES, CHU d’Angers, Université Clermont Auvergne, Université Jean Monnet Saint-Etienne, Université de Toulouse, Université de Tours, Université de Bordeaux).