Maëlenn Guerchet is a Research Fellow at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development) (IRD), with a particular interest in ageing and neurocognitive disorders in sub-Saharan Africa. During her doctorate, she worked on the assessment, prevalence and risk factors of dementia in elderly people living in French-speaking African countries (Benin, Central African Republic and Republic of Congo). Maëlenn then extended her interest in brain health during a post-doctorate at King’s College London (UK) by comparing how the dementia epidemic affects African countries and other low-and middle-income countries in a world undergoing demographic, social and epidemiological transitions.
Dr Guerchet has led several projects in West Africa (Benin, Ghana) and coordinated a multi-centre demographic survey in Central Africa (EPIDEMCA/FU). She is a member of the Africa Dementia Consortium, the 10/66 Dementia Research Group and an Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health (Global Brain Health Institute). She has also contributed to several reports published by Alzheimer’s Disease International and the World Health Organisation.
She is currently based at the University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin and she is a member of the Institute’s Board of Directors.
