Item of Interest: NICHD announces awards for Neonatal Research Network

Closeup of tiny preterm infant hand grasping adult fingers.
Credit: Stock Image

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has announced new funding for participating centers in its Neonatal Research Network (NRN).

The purpose of the NRN is to improve healthcare and outcomes for newborns. This includes finding ways to increase survival chances without neurodevelopmental impairment for infants born premature, low-birth weight, or with other serious conditions.

Founded in 1986, the NRN conducts collaborative, multi-site clinical trials and observational studies involving newborns and lactating people, providing evidence to guide clinical practice.

Funding for the centers is awarded after a competitive application process. Awardees for the 2023-2030 cycle include the following:

  • Case Western Reserve University
  • Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
  • Duke University
  • Emory University
  • Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago/Northwestern University
  • Sharp Memorial Hospital
  • Stanford University
  • University of Alabama at Birmingham
  • University of Iowa
  • University of Mississippi Medical Center
  • University of New Mexico Health Science Center
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Texas -- Southwestern Medical Center
  • University of Texas Health Science Center Houston
  • University of Utah

New members of the NRN are Lurie Children’s Hospital, Sharp Memorial Hospital, and the University of Mississippi. RTI International will continue as the network’s data coordinating center, developing data management systems and analyzing results for NRN protocols.

The following Clinical sites will continue as Collaborating Centers:

  • Brown University
  • Nationwide Children’s Center/Ohio State University
  • University of Rochester – University of Buffalo

These centers will work with the NRN for the next two years to complete follow-up of patients.

To date, the NRN has published more than 470 peer-reviewed papers, including advances on hypothermia as a treatment for birth asphyxia, phototherapy to reduce brain injury from jaundice in preterm infants, and a regimen showing that vitamin A supplementation may help reduce the risk of chronic lung disease and sepsis among extremely low birth weight preterm infants.

top of pageBACK TO TOP