Item of Interest: NIH Director Issues Statement on National Children’s Study

Today NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins issued a statement on the future of the National Children’s Study, following a report by the National Children's Study Working Group at a public meeting of the Advisory Committee to the Director.

Dr. Collins assembled the Working Group earlier this year in light of concerns about the Study raised by the National Academies of Sciences. He charged the Working Group members with evaluating the feasibility of the Study, as currently outlined, in light of budget constraints.

The Working Group’s report and a webcast of the Committee’s discussion are also available online at http:// acd.od.nih.gov/meetings.htm.

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About the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit the Institute's website at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/.