Jacques Fouad Acar (13 April 1931 – 27 March 2020) was a French doctor and microbiologist who specialized in antibiotics.

Biography

Acar left

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

in 1948 for his studies at the Faculté de médecine de Paris. He graduated in 1954 and completed his military service as a field doctor in sub-Saharan Africa. He was appointed head of the clinic for infectious diseases at the

Bichat–Claude Bernard Hospital The Bichat–Claude Bernard Hospital ( ) is located in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, France, and is operated by Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP). It was founded in 1881 as lHôpital Bichat'' (after Xavier Bichat), incorporati ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

in 1962. In 1966, Acar became head of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at the Hôpital Saint-Joseph in Paris, staying there until 1999. At the same time, he was head of Medical Microbiology at the Hôpital Broussais. He was a professor of medical microbiology at

Pierre and Marie Curie University Pierre and Marie Curie University (french: link=no, Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie, UPMC), also known as Paris 6, was a public university, public research university in Paris, France, from 1971 to 2017. The university was located on the Jussi ...

from 1973 until 1980, and was head of that department from 1980 to 2000. Acar was President of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

's taskforce on antimicrobial resistance from 1992 to 1996. He served as editor-in-chief of '' Clinical Microbiology and Infection'' from 1995 to 2000, and an expert for the

World Organisation for Animal Health The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), formerly the (OIE), is an intergovernmental organization coordinating, supporting and promoting animal disease control. Mission and status The main objective of the WOAH is to control epizoo ...

from 1999 until his death. In 2015, he became part of a taskforce of the

French Ministry of Health Minister for Solidarity and Health is a cabinet position in the Government of France. The health portfolio oversees the health care public services and the health insurance part of the French Social Security. As French ministerial departments ...

for antimicrobial resistance. After a vacation in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, Acar was hospitalized on 22 March 2020, and died of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

on 27 March. His death was widely mourned in the scientific world, including many of his former students and colleagues, such as

Didier Raoult Didier Raoult (; born 13 March 1952) is a retired French physician and microbiologist specialising in infectious diseases. He taught about infectious diseases at the Faculty of Medicine of Aix-Marseille University (AMU), and in 1984, created the ...

. Throughout his career, Jacques F. Acar organized seminars and teachings in more than 20 countries around the world. He was the author of more than 500 publications.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Acar, Jacques F. 1931 births 2020 deaths People from Dakar French microbiologists Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in France Academic staff of Pierre and Marie Curie University