NIH Will Fund Centers For National Children's Study

Up to 20 new research centers will be funded for the National Children's Study, the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development announced earlier this month. The National Children's Study will examine the effects of exposures to chemicals and other factors, such as diet and how often youngsters visit a physician, on children's long-term health and development. It will track more than 100,000 infants from across the U.S. from before birth until age 21. Congress created the program in 2000 but did not provide significant federal funding for implementation until appropriating $69 million in the current fiscal year. The National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, which is the lead of several federal agencies involved in the program, is currently accepting proposals for 20 study centers. Those centers will manage study operations in as many as 30 communities across the U.S.