This proposal aims to demonstrate the ability and the commitment of the Emory University Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal- Perinatal Medicine and the Emory Regional Perinatal Center (ERPC) in Atlanta, Georgia to continue their participation in the Cooperative Multicenter Neonatal Research Network. An overview of both the Department of Pediatrics and the Division is presented. The Division is responsible for the care of neonates at three hospitals within the University system: Grady Memorial Hospital, the largest hospital in the state of Georgia to provide indigent care with approximately 4,500 deliveries per year; Crawford W. Long Hospital, a facility with a high risk maternal transport center and approximately 2400 deliveries per year; and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, a tertiary referral center with over 500 neonates admitted directly to the neonatology service each year and a significant number admitted to other subspecialty services. These three university-affiliated hospitals provide care to a remarkably broad-based population with unparalleled pathological diversity, thus providing an excellent setting to address important research questions. Over the years, the Division has collaborated extensively with other Divisions within the Department of Pediatrics, other Departments at the Emory University School of Medicine and the Rollins School of Public Health, the Georgia Department of Human Resources, and the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and has participated in many multicenter randomized clinical trials. This proposal describes in detail the academic productivity of the Emory Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and summarizes the research activities of the Principal Investigator (PI). Dr. B. Stoll, the PI, is an internationally recognized clinical and epidemiologic investigator whose major research interests are neonatal infections, immune development of the fetus and newborn, international health, and studies to improve the care and outcome of VLBW preterm infants. Current activities of the NICHD Neonatal Research Network are reviewed. A concept proposal for consideration by the new Network is presented. In addition, the proposal reviews clinical and research facilities; obstetrical and neonatal cooperation; medical staff and support facilities; the varied population available for clinical research; the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Unit; the NICU follow-up program; perinatal data collection; research nurse staffing and special research strengths of the Emory Department of Pediatrics that may be relevant to Network research. The Division is staffed by a cohesive group of neonatologists who have an ongoing commitment to clinical research and support the Division's continued participation in the Neonatal Network. Moreover, the PI has demonstrated her ability to work collaboratively with other clinical centers and scientific groups through her current participation in the Neonatal Network and other ongoing and prior national and international research projects.
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