The Bowman Gray center is reapplying for participation in the MFMU Network. The strengths of this center include: 1. The center's hospital, Forsyth Memorial Hospital, is the only facility delivering in-patient obstetric care for four counties, and is the only tertiary perinatal center for a seventeen county area. Thus, a stable base of obstetric patients, a large proportion of whom are classified as high risk, remains available for recruitment onto appropriate clinical research protocols. 2. The center has ranked highly in the Network in terms of the accuracy and reliability of the data obtained related to MFMU Network protocols. 3. The center's staff has been active in leadership roles in the Network. The center is in the final stages of development of a protocol to be approved for active status. The center's P.I., Dr. Meis, has a publication in press which is the first report to be accepted for publication from the very important Pre-term Prediction Study conducted by the Network. Dr. Meis chairs a key Network committee, the Publications Standing Committee, which reviews all publications of the Network and facilitates requests for data analysis to the Network Biostatistics Center. 4. The Bowman Gray center has unusual potential for perinatal epidemiologic research. The fact that it is the only obstetric unit for four counties, and is the only perinatal center for seventeen counties facilitates the performance of quality geographically based studies of maternal and infant epidemiology. Dr. Meis has a special interest in this area. He was the recipient of an NIH Fogarty International Center grant to pursue work in the epidemiology of pre-term birth, the results of which are in press. The center's neonatal consultant, T. Michael O'Shea, M.D., M.P.H., also has a special interest in perinatal epidemiology. Both he and Dr. Meis are active in the Society for Pediatric Epidemiologic Research, have presented work regularly at the Society's annual meetings, and have served as reviewers of abstracts for these meetings. Dr. O'Shea is submitting an application for participation of Bowman Gray in the NICHD Neonatal Network.
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