The University of New Mexico Health Sciences received a federal grant to participate in the Neonatal Research Network, a consortium of academic health centers that pool data to improve care for high-risk newborns. The grant will allow UNM to continue its research on the prevention and treatment of conditions affecting newborns, including pulmonary hypertension, brain hemorrhage, chronic lung disease, and retinal disease.
The University of New Mexico Health Sciences has received a federal grant to participate in the Neonatal Research Network, a consortium of academic health centers that pool data to improve care for high-risk newborns. The seven-year grant, funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), will allow UNM to continue its research on the prevention and treatment of conditions impacting term and preterm infants.
UNM is one of 15 academic health centers participating in the Neonatal Research Network. The consortium was established in 1986 and has since supported clinical trials investigating a variety of conditions affecting newborns, including pulmonary hypertension, brain hemorrhage, chronic lung disease, and retinal disease.
“We are excited to continue our participation in the Neonatal Research Network,” said Kristi L. Wattenberg, MD, professor emerita in the UNM Department of Pediatrics and co-principal investigator on the grant. “This grant will allow us to continue our research on the prevention and treatment of conditions affecting newborns, and to share our findings with other members of the consortium.”
UNM clinicians typically see 40 preterm infants annually, some of whom are only 22 weeks old. These infants present with a variety of complications, and UNM researchers follow some of these individuals for several years after birth to evaluate whether they experience lasting disabilities or other issues related to preterm birth complications.
“We are committed to improving the care of newborns, and this grant will allow us to continue our research and to share our findings with other clinicians,” said Janell Fuller, MD, a professor of Pediatrics at UNM and principal investigator on the grant. “We believe that this research will lead to better outcomes for newborns and their families.”
In addition to its research expertise, UNM also brings increased racial and ethnic diversity to the Neonatal Research Network’s population data.
“We are one of the smaller sites in terms of patient enrollment,” said Fuller. “That’s one of the things of value that we bring – the patient population and its uniqueness in comparison to other ethnicities. Even though we are a small center, the intellectual contribution we’ve made over the years is impressive.”
Other health systems are also leveraging data and analytics to address preterm birth in the US. Earlier this month, Yolande Pengetnze, MD, a pediatrician and vice president of Clinical Leadership at Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation (PCCI) and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas, sat down with HealthITAnalytics to discuss her organization’s risk stratification program to predict preterm birth risk and intervene to prevent preterm births.
“We are using data and analytics to identify women who are at high risk for preterm birth,” said Pengetnze. “We then intervene with these women to provide them with the support they need to reduce their risk of preterm birth.”
Pengetnze’s organization is one of a growing number of health systems that are using data and analytics to address preterm birth. This is a promising development, as preterm birth is a major public health problem in the US. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, preterm birth is the leading cause of death in newborns.
The use of data and analytics to address preterm birth is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to make a significant impact on this public health problem. By identifying women who are at high risk for preterm birth and intervening with these women, health systems can help to reduce the number of preterm births and improve the outcomes for newborns.
