Dr. Helen Karcher
      OUR SCIENTIST

      Dr. Hélène Karcher

      MA Mathematics and Physics, PhD Computer Science and Cell Biology

      Global Head, Real World Evidence

      Contact

      Hélène joined Philip Morris International (PMI) as Global Head, Real World Evidence (RWE) in March 2024. Her team's mission is to conduct epidemiology and health economics studies to quantify differences in health outcomes in people who switch to smoke-free products compared with those who continue to smoke cigarettes as well as research to understand the long-term health effects and outcomes of nicotine per se, including through non-clinical and real-world evidence studies.

      Hélène has more than 15 years' experience in economic modelling, epidemiology, and RWE study, having previously worked at Novartis as Global Head of RWE for Ophthalmology, Respiratory and Allergy. An experienced evidence generation executive, she has designed and analyzed more than 100 randomized control trials and RWE studies.

      She earned her bachelor and master's degree in Mathematics and Physics from the École Polytechnique in France and completed a PhD in Computer Science and Cell Biology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S.

      Hélène has also published extensively, having authored more than 70 peer-reviewed articles in health economics, epidemiology, and medical journals. She is currently the Editor in Chief of the Epidemiologic Methods journal. 

      PMIScience.com is operated by Philip Morris International for the purpose of publishing and disseminating scientific information about Philip Morris International’s efforts in support of its smoke-free product portfolio. This site is a global site for use by scientists, the public health and regulatory communities, and other stakeholders with an interest in tobacco policy. The purpose of this site is not advertising or marketing, nor is it directed at any specific market. It is not intended for use by consumers. New tobacco products sold in the United States are subject to FDA regulation; therefore the content of this site is not intended to make, and nor should it be construed as making, any product related claims in the United States without proper FDA authorization. ​
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      Reduced Risk Products ("RRPs”) is the term we use to refer to products that present, are likely to present, or have the potential to present less risk of harm to smokers who switch to these products versus continuing smoking. PMI has a range of RRPs in various stages of development, scientific assessment and commercialization. All of our RRPs are smoke-free products that deliver nicotine with far lower quantities of harmful and potentially harmful constituents than found in cigarette smoke.