Congratulations to Charlotte Beaudart, awarded the title of "Namuroise de l'année" for her outstanding research on ageing

Every year, the city of Namur honors twelve individuals who have made a significant impact on society through their dedication, actions, or work. Among this year’s distinguished personalities is Charlotte Beaudart, Professor of Clinical Research at UNamur and head of the Public Health Ageing Research & Epidemiology (PHARE) Group within NARILIS. She has been awarded the title of "Namuroise of the Year" 2024 in the Science category for her research on aging, which has already received multiple prestigious recognitions.

For nearly 15 years, Charlotte Beaudart has been developing clinical research methods to gain a deeper understanding of the aging process and its association to osteoarticular and musculoskeletal disorders. Her research focuses on sarcopenia, an age-related disease that can emerge from the age of 50, leading to reduced physical performance, mobility issues, and an increased risk of frailty in older adults.

One of her most remarkable achievements is the creation of the SarcoPhAge cohort, involving over 530 participants aged over 65 in Liège (Beaudart et al., 2015). This long-term prospective study, spanning almost a decade, provides valuable insights into the dynamics of ageing. Additionally, Charlotte Beaudart developed SarQoL, the first validated quality-of-life questionnaire specifically designed for sarcopenia (Beaudart et al., 2015, Beaudart et al., 2017). These contributions have earned her widespread recognition, including the AstraZeneca Foundation Prize in collaboration with the FNRS and the FWO in December 2023.

Beyond her expertise in ageing research, Charlotte Beaudart has built strong methodological skills in biostatistics and meta-analysis, which are applicable to various research fields. She is also actively involved in the field of health economics, with a particular focus on patient preference studies, an area that plays a crucial role in shaping public health policies and advancing more patient-centered healthcare models.