The funding allows MaineHealth to join the ECHO IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network, expanding opportunities for children in Maine and eastern New Hampshire to participate in groundbreaking research.
PORTLAND – MaineHealth has received a five-year, $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to join the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network. The research network addresses disparities in pediatric research by including children from rural or underserved populations in clinical trials and by building pediatric research capacity in states like Maine and New Hampshire with historically less NIH funding.
Currently, MaineHealth offers a wide variety of clinical trials to adult patients. However, Maine, like many rural states, lacks the infrastructure to offer many clinical trials to children because of the small number of eligible participants living here. Joining the ECHO-ISPCTN through this project, known as ECHO-ME, allows MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital to enroll patients in numerous multi-center pediatric clinical trials with patients from several other rural states.
“Bringing the ECHO-ISPCTN clinical trials to Maine and eastern New Hampshire is an incredible opportunity to address health conditions that disproportionately impact children in rural communities,” said Dr. Alexa Craig, one of the principal investigators of ECHO-ME, pediatric neurologist at MHBBCH and director of the MHBBCH Scholars Academy. “Equally exciting is the chance to mentor and support newer investigators, equipping them with the skills to design and lead clinical trials that will improve care for children across our state.”
Joining the ECHO-ISPCTN also allows MaineHealth researchers to propose new clinical studies of conditions impacting children in rural communities in Maine and eastern New Hampshire such as asthma, obesity and mental health challenges. MHBBCH plans to partner with public health officials, community advocates and families to develop and propose studies.
“Collaborating with partners across our state will allow MaineHealth to design pediatric clinical trials that address the health challenges that matter most to the families we serve,” said Dr. Laura Faherty, the other principal investigator of ECHO-ME, an associate director of the MHBBCH Scholars Academy, a general pediatrician, and senior policy researcher at RAND. “This grant gives Maine and eastern New Hampshire an important seat at the table in advancing children’s health.”
Dr. Craig previously led research studies supported by NIH infrastructure grants to MaineHealth such as the Northern New England Clinical and Translational Research Network and the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in Acute Care Research and Rural Disparities.
“NIH funding is critical to MaineHealth’s ability to fulfil its mission,” said Dr. Jessica Chertow, vice president of the MaineHealth Institute for Research. “In the current NIH funding environment where success rates are historically low, earning a grant of this size reflects the strength, innovation and national recognition of MaineHealth’s pediatric research program.”
Research reported in this publication was supported by The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program, Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health under Award Number UG1 OD037941. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
