The ESSEC-sanofi-aventis Chair is part of the ESSEC Health Management Institute, alongside the Chaire Santé and the Executive Education programs dedicated to the health sector.

A Chair is a center of academic excellence supported by a public or private partner. Each Chair is managed by an ESSEC professor, who is in charge of coordinating the research and educational program. Courses and seminars allow students to study an academic field in greater depth or explore the full complexity of a business sector. The ESSEC Chairs are part of the MBA program curriculum. Every year they each admit around twenty high-potential students, whose selection is based on a written application and an interview. Through the privileged relationships between partner companies, professors and students, the Chairs represent a linchpin for leading intellectual and business communities.