Endocrine Insider
August 15, 2007

Duane Alexander, MD, Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), has invited the scientific community to provide comments on the Research Plan for the National Children’s Study. Comments are due by September 25, 2007, and The Endocrine Society encourages its members to submit any comments they may have individually.

Developed with input from scientists at several U.S. agencies, the Research Plan provides a detailed description of the background, design, measures, and rationale for the study and for the methods used therein. The National Children's Study is a long-term study of child health, the goal of which is to provide information that will ultimately lead to improvements in the health, development, and well-being of children. The Study will examine important health issues, including birth defects and pregnancy-related problems, injuries, asthma, obesity and diabetes, and behavior, learning, and mental health disorders. Findings from the Study are expected to provide researchers, health care providers, and public health officials with information from which they may develop prevention strategies, health and safety guidelines, and new treatments and cures for disease.

Comments from Dr. Alexander, instructions for submitting input, and a link to the Research Plan may be viewed at: http://www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov/research/research_plan/index.cfm