Eunice Kennedy Shriver NICHD Cooperative Multicenter Neonatal ResearchNetwork

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The University of New Mexico has an outstanding track record of contributions to the Neonatal Research Network. Our team has provided leadership as Principal Investigators for trials including Hydrocortisone for BPD, Darbepoetin for Neuroprotection in Preterm Infants, and both an observational and interventional study of cardiovascular insufficiency in term infants. Dr. Jessie Maxwell developed a novel laboratory assay for darbepoetin for the DARBE study. We have supported our junior investigators, including neonatology fellows, in proposing studies to the network. With the addition of Dr. Maxwell as a co-investigator in this application, we will continue to develop our leadership. She is the junior investigator for the IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN) at UNM, site PI for ACT NOWS studies and has an approved ISPCTN pilot study. Dr. Fuller took on the role of PI earlier this year, providing leadership as we go forward; Dr. Watterberg will remain as Alternate PI, providing continuity. Follow-up is a signature strength for UNM, both clinically and in outcomes research. This is made possible by the close collaboration among Drs. Lowe, Fuller, and Watterberg. Dr. Lowe is a well-established researcher in maternal-infant interactions, behavioral outcomes, and executive function evaluation, and an NRN Bayley Gold Standard examiner. Our team has published efforts to create a language-neutral developmental assessment and to understand the impact of language on developmental testing. Dr. Lowe’s studies of early working memory as a language-neutral measure of early development and as a significant predictor of verbal and processing skills at 6-7 years have been important contributions to the neonatal outcome literature. Dr. Watterberg obtained NHLBI funding to study adrenal function and cardiovascular outcomes at age 6 years in the SUPPORT NEURO school-age follow-up cohort. Dr. Lowe then spearheaded additional investigations of behavioral outcomes in this cohort and the relationship of these outcomes to cortisol awakening response. We expect to continue our significant contributions to outcomes research during the next grant cycle. New Mexico is a ‘minority majority’ state, with 48% Hispanic and 9% Native American individuals, the highest percentage of Hispanic individuals of any state and second to Alaska for Native Americans. Our population is unique in the NRN for its high enrollment of Hispanic and Native Americans, with 52% of our Generic Database newborns being Hispanic and 23% Native American since 2006, and 29 – 68% Hispanic and 27 – 50% Native American infants in consented studies. Our record of contributions, our specific expertise in outcomes research, and our unique population make UNM an exceptional candidate for the NRN.