The MERIT “International Maternal and Child Health” research unit is a joint research unit between the Institute of Research for Development (IRD), the University of Paris Cité (UPCité) and Inserm.
The unit conducts research programs aimed at analyzing the factors responsible for morbidity and mortality during pregnancy, in the postpartum period and during the first years of life.
The UMR MERIT stands out for its strong multidisciplinarity, allowing it to explore its research issues through complementary approaches (epidemiology, demography, biology and biostatistics), with locations in Paris and Cotonou as well as projects in the DRC, Ghana and Togo.
The UMR is made up of two multidisciplinary research teams:
- ITHE Team (Therapeutic Innovation)
- HERA Team (Environmental Health)
In addition to these scientific teams, there are two cross-cutting axes:
- ADMI axis (Administrative management and administration)
- LABO Axis (Laboratory Management)
Organization
Main objectives
Studying the diseases of pregnant women in the intertropical zone, and their consequences on maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality
Studying diseases in the first years of life, and their consequences in terms of public health
Use the results of our work
to develop integrated pest management strategies
Our devices in the South
In the South MERIT also has IRD structuring mechanisms formalizing the co-construction and co-implementation of research, training and innovation projects.
An International Joint Laboratory on the consequences of helminthic infections
LMI CONS-HELM
includes our partners from Benin and Ghana but also theUniversity of Perpignan and the one at Sao Paulo.
Three Young Associated Teams
at IRD (JEAI)
Senegal
CLISAS
on the consequences of climate change on health
Ghana
STIMULUS
on the bio-ecology and resistance of Anopheles mosquitoes to insecticides
Benin
TILAPIA
on severe malaria
Two locations (Benin and Ghana)
and a construction site in Senegal.
Benin
Our work takes place within two partnership structures:
le Joint Joint Laboratory (LMC) “CERPAGE”
(Centre for study and research on pathologies associated with pregnancy and childhood)
and Benin Clinical Research Institute (IRCB).
Ghana
our laboratories are located at Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research in Accra.
Download the Merit brochure
MERIT 2024 brochure
French
MERIT 2024 brochure
English