This application describes the qualifications and experience of the maternal-fetal medicine faculty and research team at the University of Texas Southwestern (UT Southwestern) Medical Center and Parkland Hospital and the facilities and patient population available to carry out clinical protocols sponsored by the NICHD Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units (MFMU) Network. UT Southwestern's Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine includes 14 full-time faculty physicians, 8 of whom are board certified in maternal-fetal medicine. In 1999, there were 14,647 obstetrical patients delivered at Parkland Hospital and approximately 58% were high-risk. Pregnancy complications of particular interest to the MFMU Network, for example, preterm birth and preeclampsia, are well represented in the obstetrics population at Parkland Hospital. Indeed, for the past 4 1/2 years, UT Southwestern's MFMU Network center has frequently been the first or second leading recruiter for Network protocols. A computerized perinatal database for all births at Parkland Hospital, operational since 1982, continues to be a centerpiece in our center's academic productivity as well as an important component of our center's successful participation in the MFMU Network. The perinatal research team at UT Southwestern has successfully completed randomized clinical trials external to the MFMU Network and examples are cited in this application. Importantly, the maternal-fetal medicine physicians at UT Southwestern are philosophically dedicated to rigorous controlled trials intended to objectively evaluate principles of obstetrical care consistent with the mission of the MFMU Network. The perinatal research team described has been actively involved with and committed to the MFMU Network for the past 4 1/2 years and seeks to continue this collaboration.
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