The International Chair on Cardiometabolic Risk is pleased to announce that it has opened a regional branch in Budapest, Hungary. The official inauguration was held on February 15, 2008 and was attended by Ms. Katalin Rapi, Secretary of State for Health Policy. Also in attendance were the rectors of several Hungarian universities as well as Professor Denis Richard, representing Université Laval.
The branch is directed by Professor Csaba Farsang and is based at St. Imre Hospital, which has also created the first hospital department devoted to cardiometabolic risk. As part of the opening ceremony, the Chair and the regional branch organized a scientific symposium chaired by professors Després and Farsang. Internationally renowned experts such as Professor Marja-Riitta Taskinen from Helsinki and Professor John Deanfield from the United Kingdom, as well as Hungarian experts such as Dr. Zoltan Jarai and Dr. Istvan Kiss shared their expertise and presented their latest data relevant to abdominal obesity and global cardiometabolic risk. We wish this new Hungarian initiative every success going forward.