Professor of sociology at the University of Central Venezuela and director of the Laboratory of Social Sciences, LACSO. Founder of the Venezuelan Violence Observatory, OVV. In addition, he is a visiting professor at the Federal University of Ceará, Brazil. He was a professor at the Sorbonne-Nouvelle University, Paris III, and at the Autonomous University of Mexico. Fellow of Saint Antony’s College, University of Oxford and Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the International Sociological Association (1994-2002) and World Coordinator of the International Forum on Social Sciences and Health (1998-2003). He was a member of the Health Research Advisory Committee (CAIS) of PAHO in Washington and of several WHO Basic and Applied Research committees in Geneva. He has worked on projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America.