Full-day event at NIH focuses on the potential for collaboration
At a day long presentation on August 24th, the National Children’s Study staff will identify opportunities for NIH staff and others in the federal research community to learn about and potentially collaborate on the study.
“National Children’s Study Research Day: Come Learn, Collaborate and Innovate with Us,” will be held in the Natcher Auditorium, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The National Children’s Study is a multi-site, 21-year observational study that seeks to improve children’s health by collecting data on genetic and environmental factors that may influence health outcomes. Because of its size, length, and complexity, the study is being conducted as two separate but related studies: a vanguard, or pilot study and a main study.
The vanguard study seeks to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and costs involved in the methods needed to conduct the main study. Results from the vanguard study will be used to inform the design of the main study, which is planned to begin in mid-2012.
“What makes the National Children’s Study unique is that the Vanguard Study serves as a test bed, where multiple scientific methodologies, tools and technology platforms for data collection will be selected and systematically evaluated,” said Capt. Steven Hirschfeld, acting director of the Study. “We want to share our research so we can identify linkages with other programs here at NIH and government-wide.”
The National Children’s Study is led by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health, in collaboration with a consortium that includes the NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
National Children’s Study Research Day will bring together Study scientists, the NIH community, other federal agencies, and Study partners to focus on the science of the Study. Study leaders will share data from the Study and will discuss lessons learned from designing and implementing this large-scale long-term effort. The day’s events will also provide an opportunity for study staff and federal scientists to discuss opportunities for research related to the Study and its data.
Dr. Hirschfeld explained that the Study seeks to engage basic and clinical researchers from multiple fields, as well as those working and innovating in health informatics, operations, regulatory processes, and community engagement to gain the most from the study.
Topics for National Children’s Study Research Day include:
- Feasibility studies of whole genome sequencing of families
- New data collection methods
- Integrated terminology efforts
- New objective assessments of health across the life course
- Innovative technologies and informatics approaches
- Sampling results
- Health disparities insights
Posters from Study researchers will be on display in the Natcher atrium, and the Research Day plenary sessions on Study data will be available through NIH Videocast at http://videocast.nih.gov.
All are welcome to attend this free event. To register and obtain more information, visit http://www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov/newsandevents/events/Pages/ncsresearchday.aspx.
Additional information is available from the links below:
Originally posted: August 16, 2011
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