It's mainly a story of encounters between exceptional men and women.
For over 20 years, the Robert-Debré AP-HP hospital has concentrated considerable research and clinical efforts on neurodevelopmental disorders:
- 50% of the hospital's activity is directly or indirectly related to neurodevelopmental disorders. The InovAND center of excellence, which brings together all the players in the Ile-de-France region and is one of five national centers, is headed by Prof. Richard Delorme, head of the child psychiatry department at Robert-Debré Hospital.
- France's largest research unit on neurodevelopmental disorders, the Neuro-Diderot unit (Université Paris Cité - Inserm), headed by Pierre Gressens.
Prof. Pierre Gressens and Prof. Richard Delorme had long had the idea of the Institute in mind, which would be based in particular on the child psychiatry department at Hôpital Robert-Debré, one of the largest in France.
Prof. Richard Delorme and Prof. Thomas Bourgeron of the Institut Pasteur also worked closely together on the genetics of autism. Prof. Thomas Bourgeron became famous for his work in identifying the first autism gene in 2003.
It was during the 1000 Days Commission set up by the former Secretary of State for Children and the Family, Adrien Taquet, that Prof. Richard Delorme and Dr. Ghislaine Dehaene came up with the idea of extending this project to the field of education.
This is how the Institut Robert-Debré du Cerveau de l’Enfant was born, bringing together a multitude of disciplines, including cognitive science, biology, and the fields of education and health. The Institute is dedicated to the child as a whole, whether they are at school, in the hospital or at home.
