UTHealth Houston Receives Two Awards for Continuing Research in Newborn Care and Women’s Health

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Prestigious grants totaling more than $4 million from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) The NICHD Maternal-Fetal Medicine Unit Network (MFMU) and Neonatal Research Network (NRN) have been awarded to UT Health Houston.

McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston is the only institution in Texas to receive the prestigious designation for both maternal-fetal medicine and neonatal health. The researchers will focus on decrease preterm births and improve maternal and neonatal outcomes.

“We are very proud to receive this new award, which highlights the excellent efforts of our previous Principal Investigator, Dr. Suneet P. Chauhan, and our current President, Dr. Sean Blackwell,” said Hector Mendez-FigueroaMD, Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at McGovern School of Medicine and Principal Investigator of the NICHD MFMU prize of more than $2 million over seven years. “Both have been instrumental in highlighting the value of research and the importance of incorporating it into clinical care as we use evidence-based medicine to achieve the best outcomes for mothers and their babies.”

Through NICHD MFMU, UTHealth Houston researchers were part of the ARRIVE test, which evaluated the benefit of elective induction at 39 weeks among new mothers. Mendez-Figueroa said the study findings showed a benefit for newborns from following this strategy. “We also recently collaborated on the ALPS trialwhich demonstrated the benefit of antenatal corticosteroids administered after 34 weeks, a novel approach that had not been implemented before,” he said.

Researchers are currently evaluating the benefits of treating obstructive sleep apnea early in pregnancy in an attempt to lower the risk of preeclampsia; and evaluate strategies to decrease the risk of preterm birth between twins through the use of vaginal progesterone or pessary.

“In the coming months, as part of the network, we hope to initiate a research protocol evaluating the ideal time to initiate treatment for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. In addition, we will evaluate the use of prophylactic antibiotics to decrease infectious morbidity in patients undergoing elective cesarean sections,” said Méndez-Figueroa.

UTHealth Houston has been part of the NICHD NRNs since 1998, and by the end of this seven-year grant cycle, researchers will have completed more than 30 years of continuous involvement. Funding for this cycle amounts to more than $2 million.

“The McGovern School of Medicine neonatology team has experience in comparative effectiveness research to compare clinical practices to improve care,” he said. Matthew A. RysavyMD, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, director of Neonatal Research and co-principal investigator for the grant.

Through the NICHD NRN, UTHealth Houston researchers led by Jon Tyson, MD, MPH, have been part of landmark studies including therapy to reduce death and disability in infants born with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (birth asphyxia ), which have saved countless lives around the world. world; studies comparing different strategies of respiratory support and oxygen therapy, which have reduced mortality and morbidity in extremely preterm infants; and development of resources describing outcomes for extremely preterm infantswhich They are used by tens of thousands of people every year. Tyson is professor of pediatrics, obstetrics and internal medicine and the Michelle Bain Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Public Health at McGovern School of Medicine.

“This new award positively reflects the efforts of Dr. Rysavy and the entire research team, along with the tremendous clinical program led by Dr. Amir Khan,” said Mary Aitken, MD, MPH, professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Dan L Duncan Distinguished University Chair in Pediatrics with McGovern Medical School. “We are proud that the UTHealth Houston Department of Pediatrics continues its tradition of collaboration to improve the health and outcomes of critically ill and preterm newborns.”