MD in internal medicine and immunology/allergology, Jean Villard obtained a MD/PhD at the Faculty of Science at the University of Geneva in 1998 in the field of the regulation of MHC. Since then, he has become the head of the Immunology and Transplant Unit at the University Hospital of Geneva, where he is also in charge of the cellular therapy facilities for the clinical program of cellular and tissue transplantations. As ex-president and member of the medical committee of the Swisstransplant Foundation, he has elaborated with colleagues the allocation system for renal transplantation which is currently in place at a national level. He is also involved in the European Federation for Immunogenetics to promote immunogenetics in the field of hematopoietic stem cell transplantations, organ transplantations, HLA disease associations (autoimmunity) and in host response to pathogens. Immunogenetic factors mainly MHC but other (such as KIR) are his areas of interest and his expertise for this centre.