Dr. Lea Pare Toe is the Stakeholder Engagement Lead for Target Malaria Burkina Faso, which is part of the Target Malaria consortium based at the Institut de Recherches en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS) in Bobo-Dioulasso. She joined the project in 2012 and is a specialist in socio-anthropological analysis of vector-borne diseases.
Dr Paré Toé earned her PhD in Anthropology and Sociology from the University of Aix Marseille, France in 2010. It is through her training and career, that Lea developed an interest in malaria research from an anthropological point of view.
Author of several publications since 2000, Dr Paré Toé is interested in the social representations of malaria in connection with the acceptance of the means for disease control developed by science and technology. Her various works have underlined the need for early engagement strategies in malaria research and the importance of examining perceptions, expectations and constraints in relation to the use and allocation of research by beneficiary populations.
Dr Paré Toé is one of the forerunners of social sciences interested in genetic technologies from the point of view of local communities and stakeholders. She recently contributed to developing a community agreement model for genetic approaches research to malaria control in Africa.
Dr Paré Toé is deeply committed to inspiring the next generation and hopes her work can empower young girls to pursue careers in science and technology. In recognition of her groundbreaking work, Dr Paré Toé, as a Burkinabè national, was named a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques during Burkina Faso’s 2024 Independence Day celebrations. In 2025, she was one of the leading voices of “Change the Story”, an advocacy campaign by Malaria No More centered around the impact of malaria on women and girls.
