Our Mission

To help achieve USAID's strategic objectives to reduce childhood mortality and morbidity, the Child Health Research Project (CHR) conducts applied research in: diarrheal and respiratory diseases, infectious diseases, neonatal health, and malnutrition.

Our Approach

CHR identifies and evaluates new technologies for improving treatment and prevention of these illnesses, including methods of managing child health programs. We seek to strengthen the problem-solving capacity of developing country institutions. And we present research findings to guide improvements in national health policies and promote adoption of interventions, approaches, and technologies into professional health practice.


Our Focus
CHR concentrates its research efforts in six areas relating to child health and mortality:

Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI)
Diarrheal Diseases
Nutrition
Infectious Diseases
Neonatal Health
Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI)

Our Collaborating Partners

Five collaborating partners implement the project, each with complementary roles:

World Health Organization Department of Child and Adolescent Health (WHO/CAH) and Department of Vaccines & Biologics (WHO/V&B) is responsible for interventions concerning health, growth, and development for the age group of 0-19 years. It main objectives are: 1) To reduce illness and death among children and adolescents and, 2) To improve the health and development of children and adolescents. CAH stimulates worldwide action to promote healthy behaviours and prevent and manage health problems of children and adolescents. It does so by raising awareness, promoting research and producing information to develop standards and guidelines. In addition CAH facilitates the local adaptation and implementation of standards and guidelines.

Boston University: Applied Research on Child Health (ARCH) Project is committed to the support of applied scientific research that will inform and improve health policies and programs to reduce child morbidity and mortality around the world. The ARCH Project, through its research grant awards, training programs, and technical assistance will strengthen the national capacities of both social and biomedical scientists in low income countries to foster a sustainable system to further the child survival revolution.


ICDDR,B: Center for Health and Population Research is an international, non-profit, health and population research and training institute which was established in 1978 to address diarrhoeal diseases and related problems. ICDDR,B, or the Centre for Health and Population Research, as it is commonly known, is governed by a 17-member international Board of Trustees and is supported financially by over 35 governments and agencies. The Centre promotes study, research and dissemination of knowledge in the management of diarrhoeal diseases, nutrition, and fertility. The Centre has also been mandated to provide training to scientists and researchers in the areas of its competence.

INCLEN (International Clinical Epidemiology Network) is a worldwide network of health professionals dedicated to improving equity, efficiency, and quality in health care through training and the production and application of the best evidence on interventions. This achieved through a network of physicians, statisticians and social scientists throughout the world who work together to build and sustain institutional capacity for excellence and relevance in research medical education.

Johns Hopkins - Family Health and Child Survival (FHACS) identifies new technologies and methods for improving child survival and family health. Focus is on effective integrated implementation of services to have the greatest impact in developing countries. FHACS improves the effectiveness of child survival technologies in developing countries by implementing operations and policy research. Research is conducted in collaboration with developing country institutions and focuses on control of childhood infectious diseases and nutritional problems, and improving methodologies for measuring child mortality/morbidity and delivering interventions.





 CHR's new Special Report on Determinants of Antimicrobial Use in the Developing World

 Effect of Zinc Supplementation Started During Diarrhea on Morbidity and Mortality in Bangladeshi Children (British Medical Journal, November 2002)

 AIDS Is Your Business (Harvard Business Review, February 2003)

 Global Forum for Health report on Interventions Against Antimicrobial Resistance.

 PowerPoint slide show on INCLEN-IBIS's Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance in India.

 PowerPoint slide show on CHR's Research Results and Policy Formulation on Nutrition and Micronutrients.

 CHR Synopsis on the reformulation of Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) solution.

 Perinatal and Neonatal Health Interventions Research (Journal of Perinatology, October/November 2002)