The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences was awarded $41.8 million by the National Institutes of Health to conduct pediatric clinical trials across the state to study rural and medically underserved children, according to a news release.
The money, given as part of the NIH's Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes program, will be used to oversee a 17-site network that will study how a range of environmental factors affect the health of children and adolescents, according to the release.
“The ECHO program is vital for improving the health of children in rural and medically underserved areas of Arkansas and across the nation,” said Dr. Pope L. Moseley, the executive vice chancellor of UAMS, in the release.
The Arkansas Children's Research Institute in Little Rock will get $1.9 million of the grant to fund one of the clinical sites, according to the release. Researchers at the institute will likely study factors that contribute to childhood asthma, endocrine disorders, diabetes and obesity.
“Every baby should have the best opportunity to remain healthy and thrive throughout childhood,” said Dr. Francis S. Collins, director of the NIH, in the release. "ECHO will help us better understand the factors that contribute to optimal health in children."
Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.