The central mission of the IPHRC is to develop a network of perinatal care providers and public health professionals working to improve the health outcomes of children born low birth weight (LBW) and/or preterm through innovative and multidisciplinary research initiatives.
We are a team of researchers and clinicians invested in research on exposures in the perinatal period that impact the health of children born in Iowa. Our team includes individuals with expertise in neonatology, developmental and behavioral pediatrics, and epidemiology. Together, we aim to improve the medical, developmental, psychological, and social outcomes of infants born in Iowa and their families with a particular focus on those born preterm or low birth weight.
We will accomplish this by focusing on three areas as follows:
Neonatal and Pediatric Biorepository
We will establish a hospital-based biobank that will include clinical outcomes and biological samples collected at delivery. This will serve as a platform for genetic and molecular studies of perinatal exposures (i.e., low birth weight) and their impact on child health.
- We will work with hospitals and clinics across the state of Iowa and to consent families at delivery with a particular focus on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
- This resource will provide DNA and other samples for researchers to study the genetic and molecular causes of outcomes in the perinatal period like preterm birth and the effects on neonatal, infant and child health.
Health Services and Outcomes
We will develop a hospital services and outcomes data source to help us understand the health care needs of children born in Iowa.
- We will establish and maintain a database of exposures pertinent to the perinatal period and their impact on outcomes throughout the first 5 years of childhood.
- We will work with programs that follow high risk children, as well as administrative data sources (e.g., birth certificate records).
- This resource will provide researchers with data on child health and perinatal exposures for children born in Iowa. For example, researchers may want to examine the impact of preterm birth on outcomes in childhood including re-hospitalization, cognitive development, mental health, and respiratory health.
Family and Community Engagement
We will engage families in research initiatives by providing and promoting existing resources for improving child health.
- We will work with the local chapter of the March of Dimes to identify and engage parents in research. We seek to identify research gaps and areas of interest particularly to parents and families of children born in Iowa with health challenges.
- This resource will provide researchers with a registry of interested families who may want to participate in a specific study. This provides an easier platform for conducting patient-centered and community-engaged research initiatives.
