Louisiana's children are some of the most vulnerable in the country and are disproportionately affected by a number of health disparities. Enhancing the ability to implement high quality clinical trials directed toward the five focus areas of the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program (pre-, peri-, and postnatal outcomes; obesity; upper and lower airways; neurodevelopment; and positive health) has the unique potential to improve health outcomes for all children in Louisiana and across the United States. With the establishment of the IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN) in 2016, the Louisiana site consisting of researchers from Pennington Biomedical Research Center (PBRC) in Baton Rouge and Tulane University in New Orleans successfully enhanced pediatric research capacity and infrastructure to conduct clinical trials, trained new pediatric researchers, and participated in clinical trials implemented by the Network in the first cycle. This renewal will allow our Louisiana site to expand the reach of the ECHO ISPCTN to additional sites across the state (Children's Hospital New Orleans and Our Lady of the Lake Children's Hospital), to train additional pediatric researchers, and to conduct additional important clinical trials. Moreover, continuing to work with the established infrastructure and modeling the processes of inter-institutional collaboration created by the Louisiana Clinical and Translational Science Center (LA CaTS) Center (PI: John Kirwan; U54 GM104940; IDeA CTR) will allow for further dissemination and conduct of clinical trials across Louisiana. The ECHO ISPCTN with the assistance of NIH Project Scientists will identify research protocols of high priority appropriate to the Network's goals and objectives. Our local study team will ensure that study protocols proceed efficiently through regulatory and budgeting processes, are implemented effectively, and meet recruitment goals and timelines. We will ensure mentoring of our two junior faculty and appropriate training of our research staff. Moreover, the Senior Faculty Development Leader will work with the entire research team to implement a clinical research skills development program. By building and expanding the research infrastructure in Louisiana, developing uniform study protocols, and synergizing with other ECHO ISPCTN sites across the United States, the Louisiana ECHO ISPCTN site will continue to bring new discoveries to the children of Louisiana while addressing the health disparities that disproportionately affect the State.
Louisiana's children are affected by many health problems at a higher rate compared to other states. This is especially true in rural areas and areas that have less access to healthcare. The goals of this proposal are to expand access to cutting-edge research for more children in Louisiana, to train future pediatric researchers, and to address the specific health needs of children locally and nationally. We will accomplish these goals by combining resources and a team of researchers from Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Tulane University, LSU Health Sciences Center, and the state's only 2 freestanding children's hospitals, Children Hospital New Orleans, and Our Lady of the Lake Children's Hospital in Baton Rouge.
| Snowden, Jessica; Darden, Paul; Palumbo, Paul et al. (2018) The institutional development award states pediatric clinical trials network: building research capacity among the rural and medically underserved. Curr Opin Pediatr 30:297-302 |
