Description of Collaborative Activity: |
The MCH Research Programs supports Research Networks that focus on collaborative, multisite research and dissemination of information. The MCH Research Networks consist of three programs: MCH Pregnancy-related Care Research Network (PRCRN), MCH Pediatric Research Network, and Life Course Health Development Network. MCH Pregnancy-related Care Research Network The Pregnancy-related Care Research Network (PRCRN) promotes coordinated research activities that focus on studying the content of provider practice and risk reduction practices related to pregnancy care and translation of research to practice. These network activities should result in health and health services improvements in critical MCH areas such as low birth weight and preterm births. The following are key activities of the PRCRN: • Develop new ideas and conduct research studies on critical pregnancy-related health and women’s health issues. • Develop evidence based guidelines based on network research findings for use by practitioners that will result in improvements in pregnancy-related health and women’s health care services. • Disseminate critical information on its research findings and guidelines developed in order to assist health professionals, policy makers, and the public. MCH Pediatric Research Network The MCH Pediatric Research Network Program promotes coordinated multi-centered research activities, focused on translating research to practice that should result in health and health service improvements when applied directly into pediatric primary care and/or service settings. A network of primary care child health professionals will collaborate in the development and implementation of research designed to increase critical child health care knowledge. The primary activities of the Network include the following: • Developing new ideas and conducting research studies on critical child health issues. • Developing evidence-based guidelines based on network research findings for use by practitioners that will result in improvements in child health care services. • Disseminating critical information on its research findings and guidelines developed to health professionals, policy makers, and the public. Life Course Health Development Network The Life Course Health Development Research Network (LCRN) advances public health research on the epidemiology, social determinants, and on the origins and impacts of health disparities, from a life course perspective. These network activities should result in documenting the important role early life events play in shaping an individual’s health trajectory, while considering the interplay of how risk and protective factors, such as socioeconomic status, environmental exposures, health behaviors, stress, and nutrition, influence health throughout one’s lifetime. The key activities of the LCRN include the following: • Developing new ideas and a research agenda on life course health development; • Conducting research studies utilizing life course focused approaches that will influence health promotion and risk reduction strategies of the MCH population now, and over future generations; • Advancing the methods of studying life course health development; • Disseminating critical information on its research findings to assist health professionals, policy makers, and the public. |
