U5D MCH Pediatric Research Network Program (PedsRN)

This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding under the U5D MCH Pediatric Research Network (PedsRN) Program. The purpose of this program is to establish and maintain an interdisciplinary, national, multi-site research platform for scientific collaboration and infrastructure building. The Research Network will provide national leadership for applied and translational practice-based pediatric research and interventions to advance the evidence base for pediatric practice. PedsRN will accomplish this by supporting: collaborative practice-based research aimed at enhancing primary care practice, the development of evidence-based guidelines based on network research findings, and dissemination of findings in order to accelerate the translation of research into practice. The Research Network will identify effective practices to promote children’s health in primary care settings. This will be accomplished through the establishment and ongoing development of a national network of primary care and child health professionals. These health care professionals will collaborate in the development and implementation of research designed to increase knowledge of pediatric care. The Research Network will: • Lead, promote, and coordinate national research activities to improve the physical health and well-being of the pediatric population and their families; • Develop and maintain an infrastructure to support a portfolio of multi-site, interdisciplinary research specifically focused on fostering practice-based research studies, translating this research into policy and practice, and providing a mentoring environment to train clinical and non-clinical researchers in applied and translational practice-based pediatric research; • Advance health equity by providing outreach to, and conducting research that, addresses the needs of underserved and safety net populations (e.g., families and children living in poverty, in rural and urban areas, or at high risk of poor developmental outcomes in physical, social, emotional, or cognitive domains); • Address, where applicable, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) and Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) priorities; namely, mental health, opioid use disorder, prescription drug pricing, maternal mortality, and telehealth. The recipient of the cooperative agreement is encouraged to leverage and extend, as appropriate, the impact of HRSA’s existing programs and resources in the areas of child health and development. For cooperative agreement activities please see Project Narrative Section IV.

Only domestic public or nonprofit institutions of higher learning and public or private nonprofit agencies engaged in research or in programs relating to maternal and child health and/or services for children with special health care needs are eligible to apply. See 42 CFR § 51a.3(b). Domestic faith-based and community-based organizations, tribes, and tribal organizations are also eligible to apply.

Maura Maloney, PhD, MS

(301)443-1087