HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Research Program’s (MCHR) Funding Opportunities Announcement (FOA), plans to award FY 2012 grants to support applied research related to maternal and child health services. The grant support is available from the Division of Research, Training and Education part of HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB).
The FOA (HRSA-12-006) includes three separate grant competitions:
• R40 MCH Research Program (MCHR) to support applied research to improve health services and delivery of care for maternal and child health populations
• R40 Secondary Data Analysis Studies (SDAS) Program to analyze and use existing secondary data
• R40 EHR Pediatric PBRN Initiative to support an existing EHR based pediatric practice-based research network to conduct comparative effectiveness research and epidemiologic assessment of psychotropic medications and commonly prescribed asthma medications in pediatric populations. The researchers will also look at the possible association between these medications and metabolic disorders in the population
Specifically, the “EHR Pediatric PBRN Initiative” plans to examine the effects of these medications by basic demographic factors that will include self-reported race, ethnicity, the child’s age and sex, and other variables. Information on side effects to be made available through EHRs will include height, weight, and blood pressure as well as the results of any routine laboratory work collected as part of well-child care.
Approximately $1,200,000 in funding is expected to be available for the R40 MCHR, fiscal years 2012-1014 to fund four grantees. Applicants may apply for up to $300,000 per year for up to three years. Funds for R40 SDAS are expected to be $400,000 to fund four grants, and the R40 “EHR Pediatric PBRN Initiative” will fund $1,000,000 for one grant per year for up to five years. Nine awards in total are estimated to be funded.
Eligible applicants can be private or state institutions of higher education engaged in research programs related to maternal and child health and/or services for children with special healthcare needs, Native American tribal organizations, and non-profits with (501) (3) status.
The FOA was released on July 12, 2011 with applications due September 7, 2011. For further information, go to www.grants.gov or for the “EHR Pediatric PBRN Initiative”, the contact is Benjamin Margolis at bmargolis@hrsa.gov.
