Dr. EMMANUEL COHEN

I, Emmanuel Cohen, am a biocultural anthropologist and tenured researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), based in the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France (7206 “Eco-anthropology” Mixed Research Unit). I am an honorary researcher for the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit (DPHRU) in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits University in Johannesburg. I work as much on the biological adaptations of the body as I do on its variable sociocultural conceptions among human populations experiencing ongoing lifestyle transitions caused by the phenomenon of urbanization. Based on a holistic approach, I focus on the impact of the urban transition—especially the conjoint demographic, nutritional, and epidemiological transitions—on the health of African and Western populations experiencing this lifestyle transition. With the articulation of biological and sociocultural data, along with the use of mixed-methods approaches, I evaluate the adaptability of these populations to rapid urban expansion (involving physical and sociocultural environmental changes) as: an increase in the accessibility of high-calorie foods, a decrease in physical activity, and the development of more individualistic trajectories. All together, these impact the nutritional, epidemiological, and demographic dynamics.