The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Eunice Kennedy Shriver (NICHD) has announced new funding for centers participating in its Network of Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units (Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units, MFMU).
The purpose of the MFMU Network is to improve obstetric care, pregnancy health, and outcomes for pregnant and lactating people and their babies. The network seeks to reduce maternal deaths, complications and diseases and conditions related to pregnancy, labor, recovery after childbirth, reduction of preterm birth, low birth weight, infant death and other diseases and conditions.
Founded in 1986, the MFMU conducts multi-center collaborative clinical trials and observational studies involving newborns and lactating individuals, providing information to guide maternal healthcare practice.
Funding is awarded to centers after a competitive application process. MFMU facilities may include one or more affiliated hospitals. The following institutions will receive the allocations for the 2023-2030 cycle:
- Baylor College of Medicine [Escuela de Medicina de Baylor]
- Brown University/Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island [Universidad de Brown/Hospital de Mujeres e Infantes de Rhode Island]
- Case Western Reserve University [Universidad Case de la Reserva Occidental]
- Columbia University Health Sciences [Ciencias de la Salud de la Universidad de Columbia]
- Duke University [Universidad Duke]
- Magee-Women’s Research Institution and Foundation [Fundación e Instituto de Investigación Magee-Women]
- Northwestern University [Universidad del Noroeste]
- Ohio State University [Universidad del Estado de Ohio]
- University of Alabama at Birmingham [Universidad de Alabama en Birmingham]
- University of California at San Francisco [Universidad de California en San Francisco]
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill [Universidad de Carolina del Norte en Chapel Hill]
- University of Pennsylvania [Universidad de Pensilvania]
- University of Texas at Houston [Universidad de Texas en Houston]
- University of Utah [Universidad de Utah]
The George Washington University Center for Biostatistics will continue as the network’s data coordinating center, developing data management systems and analyzing results for MFMU protocols.
To date, MFMU has published more than 400 peer-reviewed articles. MFMU trials directly inform health care guidelines in the United States and other countries.