November marks National Native American Heritage month as we celebrate and honor the history, traditions, contributions, and achievements of Indigenous Peoples and acknowledge the challenges Native communities have faced both historically and in the present.

MCHRI is committed to improving the diversity of the research workforce underrepresented in maternal and child health through providing mentorship and training early in the career pipeline.

MCHRI is committed to improving the diversity of the research workforce underrepresented in maternal and child health through providing mentorship and training early in the career pipeline. As such, we established the DRIVE (Diversity, Respect, and Inclusion are Vital for Excellence) in Research Pipeline Award Program. DRIVE provides summer research opportunities to URM/FLI (underrepresented minority/first-generation low income) undergraduate students mentored by faculty to work on summer research projects in maternal child health.

We are now seeking faculty mentors from our community to participate in the 2022 summer program. Faculty interested in serving as DRIVE mentors are encouraged to submit their projects by Thursday, November 18, 2021. We hope that a robust faculty response will result in a diverse array of projects for students to choose, from basic lab science to clinical and translational research in maternal child health.

In addition, we are launching the Stanford Children’s Health (SCH) Clinical Research Support Office
(CRSO) Workshop on November 11 and 17 (repeated content) in partnership with the Senior Associate Dean for Research and the CTSA. These sessions will describe CRSO governance structure, its role in facilitating clinical and translational research, and the operational and informatics resources available to study teams conducting research at SCH. Please register and share this event with your colleagues so they are aware of CRSO resources and how to access them.

If you have questions about DRIVE or CRSO, please do not hesitate to contact us.

David K. Stevenson, MD - Co-Director, MCHRI; Senior Associate Dean for Maternal & Child Health and Professor of Pediatrics (Neonatal & Developmental Medicine), Stanford School of Medicine

This message originally appeared in the MCHRI Newsletter November 2021.

We continue to embrace the COVID-19 pandemic as a community and adapt to how it has shifted our nature of work. With this in mind, we are encouraged by the 100+ abstracts we received this fall for our annual research symposium. Our MCHRI Education Committee cordially invites you to attend the virtual event this year and identify opportunities to collaborate and innovate to advance maternal child health.

Our MCHRI Education Committee cordially invites you to attend the virtual event this year and identify opportunities to collaborate and innovate to advance maternal child health

This year, our poster session will be featured exclusively online during the week of the event, October 25^th – 28^th. We have invited our presenters to upload digital posters along with a short video summary of their research. We hope this provides attendees of this year’s symposium the opportunity to identify collaborative opportunities ahead of the day of the symposium and attend our exciting sessions planned for the day of the main event. Five members of our community were selected from our competitive abstract submission to present during Session 3 of this year’s symposium. We look forward to featuring their exemplary work during the session.

Not to be missed, our keynote speaker this year, Kelle Moley, MD, Deputy Director of Reproductive Health Technologies, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will present the Foundation’s commitment to putting women and girls at the center of global health and development while also highlighting the underscored need for, and the promise of, transformational technologies to support women’s sexual reproductive health.

The event will also showcase scientific advances in emerging maternal and prenatal health, scientific advances in diversity, health equity, and social justice as well as innovations in pediatric cardiovascular medicine. Register for the symposium and join us at this important event.

Throughout the year, the MCHRI Education Committee’s monthly seminar series continues to draw interested members from our growing local and national research community. We continue to virtually conduct these talks and have been energized by the diverse array of audience members attending from near and far. Please see the list of upcoming timely and stimulating talks on our website. 
 
We are looking forward to expanding our educational and training impact within the community. Please contact the Education Committee with your ideas! 

Anthony Oro, MD, PhD - Co-Director of MCHRI; Chair of MCHRI Education Committee; Professor of Dermatology, Stanford School of Medicine; Associate Director of the Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine

This message originally appeared in the MCHRI Newsletter October 2021.

September marks Women in Medicine month as we pay tribute to the amazing women in medicine and biomedical research at Stanford Medicine and worldwide. This month also marks a fresh new fiscal year.

As I reflect back on fiscal year 2021, I am grateful and proud of all we have accomplished as a community, despite all the challenges.

As I reflect back on fiscal year 2021, I am grateful and proud of all we have accomplished as a community, despite all the challenges. While our flagship grants programs have been a defining hallmark of MCHRI since its inception twelve years ago, we have invested heavily in recent years in infrastructure like the Clinical Research Support Office. MCHRI has also continued to fund partners like SPARK, Biodesign, Global Health, and other SoM centers and institutes. We encourage our members to explore funding through MCHRI and funded partnerships and access the Funding Calendar website.

Last year, we launched two new programs in the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) space:

• Pilot grants for research on structural racism and health disparities ($35K each) and a
• Summer internship program for underrepresented minority undergraduates called DRIVE (Diversity in Research Is Vital for Excellence) in Research Pipeline.
  
  

The first DRIVE student cohort presented their research projects on August 25^th after spending the summer working remotely with established MCHRI faculty mentors. We are especially grateful to all the mentors, the program team, and to all the donors of the LPFCH Children’s Fund which supports these DE&I programs.

Our 4th Annual MCHRI (virtual) Symposium is coming up on October 28th. Remember to submit an abstract by September 8th. This is one of the best ways to make connections with your colleagues, possibly ones that lead to new collaborations and eventual discoveries!

Stay safe and connected.   

Mary M. Chen, MS, MBA - Executive Director, Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute; Assistant Dean for Maternal and Child Health Research, Stanford School of Medicine

This message originally appeared in the MCHRI Newsletter September 2021.

A key mission of MCHRI revolves around community interaction and the dissemination of the latest information that affects pregnant mothers and children. Guiding this mission is the talented Education Committee that, whether in-person or online, aims to foster an interactive academic community and spark research collaborations across the world. One MCHRI member shared how “the programs offered by MCHRI and the research community have been invaluable for my career development.” The Education Committee remains committed to continuing this educational experience for all.

One MCHRI member shared how 'the programs offered by MCHRI and the research community have been invaluable for my career development.'

We are grateful to the Education Committee members who are transitioning off for their time and commitment in supporting the next generation of academic leaders. These include Michelle Monje, Manpreet Singh, Fan Yang, and Meena Kadapakkam. Please welcome new members who will contribute their expertise and leadership to the future of MCHRI: Elizabeth Burgener, Kelly Mahaney, Kara Meister, Ryan Padrez, and Sriram Vaidyanathan. If you are interested in serving on the Education Committee, we welcome you to join us.  
 
A highlight of the year is the 4th annual MCHRI symposium on Thursday, October 28, in a virtual format. This is an opportunity for instructors, fellows, residents, postdocs, students, and faculty of all disciplines from across campus to share their work. Be sure to register and submit your work for presentation using this link, as the top five abstracts will be selected by the Education Committee for oral presentations. 
 
The symposium will highlight a keynote session on global health technologies and include a keynote address by Kelle H. Moley, MD, Deputy Director of Reproductive Health Technologies at the Gates Foundation; she will speak on the global priorities in reproductive health technologies. Three other main sessions will cover Emerging Issues in Health Equity, New Breakthroughs in Cardiovascular Medicine, and Discoveries in Maternal and Child Health.
 
Join our MCHRI community event by submitting an abstract for the symposium and/or serving as an Education Committee member. We look forward to hearing more about your work. 

Anthony Oro, MD, PhD - Co-Director, Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute; Eugene and Gloria Bauer Professor of Dermatology, Stanford School of Medicine; Associate Director, Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine, Stanford University

This message originally appeared in the MCHRI Newsletter August 2021.

This month marks the end of an unprecedented academic year, marked by the near total shut-down of our research enterprise due to the pandemic compounded by social unrest as we confronted racism across our society. The MCHRI community responded with dedication and passion, reviewing and awarding a record number of grants, and establishing multiple new grant mechanisms. We are indebted to our 110 volunteer reviewers and study section chairs who participated in 16 review sessions over the last year. 

The MCHRI community responded with dedication and passion, reviewing and awarding a record number of grants, and establishing multiple new grant mechanisms.

Since last July, we have launched multiple new programs. These include two rounds of grants to fund research on the impact of racism and social injustice on maternal and child health, a summer research program, DRIVE, to increase the pipeline of diverse young scientists engaged in maternal and child health research, and a new research program in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease. We extend our congratulations to all of the recipients of these meritorious awards.
 
MCHRI provides many opportunities to engage with our community. We encourage our members to learn more about DRIVE and attend the poster presentations on August 25. Please consider volunteering to serve as a grant reviewer across our many funding mechanisms. Importantly, we look forward to the MCHRI Symposium on October 28 and encourage our members to submit abstracts for the meeting. 

Mary Leonard, MD, MSCE - Director, Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute; Arline and Pete Harman Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, Stanford School of Medicine; Adalyn Jay Physician in Chief, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford

This message originally appeared in the MCHRI Newsletter July 2021.

Supporting clinical and translational research is key to the mission of Stanford Children’s Health (SCH). Accordingly, the Clinical Research Support Office (CRSO) was established to build and govern support for this shared mission. CRSO has worked tirelessly with principals at SCH and the School of Medicine (SoM) to enhance operational and informatics support for study teams conducting research at SCH.

CRSO has worked tirelessly with principals at SCH and the School of Medicine (SoM) to enhance operational and informatics support for study teams conducting research at SCH.

Last year, CRSO developed an intake portal to help assess new study feasibility, determine resources required for study execution, and evaluate staffing and training needs to support research studies at SCH. To date, the portal has received 65 submissions for new research studies at SCH, representing 28 Departments and Divisions across the SoM. If you are an investigator or part of an investigative team, please submit any planned research studies to be conducted at SCH through the intake portal so our team can connect you to the appropriate hospital contacts to support your study.

Recently, the CRSO initiated a transition to electronic billing review through SCH Epic. This process integration within Epic will enable study teams to review and close out research bills more efficiently and quickly. CRSO will reach out to research teams to provide training and onboarding of the new process in the coming year.

The CRSO Executive Advisory Committee has been instrumental in providing guidance and support for these initiatives, drawing on research expertise, operational capabilities, and leadership from the SCH and SoM. We are excited to welcome Tricia Ning as the newest member of the CRSO team in her role as Clinical Research Systems Analyst. She will work closely with Sijo Thomas and the rest of the CRSO team to streamline clinical research informatics services at SCH.

If you have any questions or require assistance with planning for your research projects at SCH, please reach out to CRSO at crso@stanfordchildrens.org.

Karl Sylvester, MD - Director of Clinical Research Support Office, Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute; Associate Dean for Maternal and Child Health Research and Professor of Surgery (Pediatric Surgery), Stanford School of Medicine

This message originally appeared in the MCHRI Newsletter June 2021.

The MCHRI remains committed to providing educational experiences that convey the most rigorous scientific findings and their significance to all community stakeholders. We hope that through our efforts, we can excite trainees and spark future collaborative translational medicine projects. 
 
Our main communication outlet is the monthly MCHRI seminar series which serves as a popular forum for exchanging ideas with researchers and scientists across Stanford and beyond. The 2021 lineup includes timely health topics, from gender inequities in global communities to neurological disorders in children. Our partnership with SPARK, Center for Biodesign, and the Global Child Health Program will showcase their portfolio in maternal and child health-related projects at our upcoming talks. 
 
The annual research symposium on October 28 focuses on important rapidly changing topics in science, medicine, and technology, where we share groundbreaking discoveries and discussions in maternal and child health. This year’s event features keynote speaker Kelle H. Moley, MD, Deputy Director of Reproductive Health Technologies at the Gates Foundation and research pioneer in maternal obesity and diabetes in pregnancy and infant health. The symposium will highlight today’s most pressing topics, including emerging concepts in health equity, innovations in pediatric cardiovascular medicine, and breakthrough discoveries in maternal and child health.
 
One of our newest initiatives, the Drug and Device Development (D³) Service, allows MCHRI to identify emerging therapies and accelerate their maturation from the bench to the clinic. MCHRI works with SPARK, Biodesign, and the Stanford Predictive and Diagnostics Accelerator (SPADA) to leverage Stanford’s expertise in health technology innovation and research. D³ offers rigorous training and enriching seminars to support investigators in developing therapeutic and diagnostic devices to benefit mothers and children. 
 
MCHRI is committed to supporting the research community and providing educational resources to help your work. Please let us know how we can help your scholarly work.

David K. Stevenson, MD - Co-Director, Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute; Harold K. Faber Professor of Pediatrics and Senior Associate Dean for Maternal and Child Health, Stanford School of Medicine 

This message originally appeared in the MCHRI Newsletter May 2021.

Since the pandemic began, the rise of anti-Asian racism and violence towards our friends and colleagues is disturbing, and while this is not new, it affects all of us. We stand in solidarity with our Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities against anti-Asian hate. We stand in solidarity with our comrades and countless others against all forms of injustice, hatred, and violence. Please know you have our unconditional support, and you are valued members of this community.
 
Last year, we highlighted how the pandemic and social injustice exposed the health disparities in our country and the efforts MCHRI is responding in many ways. Earlier this year, we expressed our continued commitment to research in this area, including a new pilot grants program for research on structural racism, social injustice, and health disparities. We are committed to supporting your work that addresses health disparities and incorporates a racial and ethnic equity perspective across the entire research process. Learn more about the work being done in this month's feature story.
 
Please reach out to the resources available to you during these times and let us know how we can support you.

Anthony Oro, MD, PhD - Co-Director, Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute; Eugene and Gloria Bauer Professor of Dermatology, Stanford School of Medicine; Associate Director, Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine, Stanford University

This message originally appeared in the MCHRI Newsletter April 2021.

With continued gratitude, I am writing this month in honor of our research staff, who are at the heart of our research enterprise. Whether research is in our job titles or not, all staff make direct or indirect contributions to our research mission. For a year now, staff across the university has worked tirelessly, either remotely or on campus, while navigating COVID-19 restrictions to ensure research continuity during the pandemic.

For a year now, staff across the university has worked tirelessly, either remotely or on campus, while navigating COVID-19 restrictions to ensure research continuity during the pandemic.

I have seen firsthand the persistence and resilience of our staff to forge ahead while keeping our patients and colleagues safe. From modifying work schedules with lab personnel to pivoting into virtual interactions with research patients, and countless other pivots, I am inspired by this deep commitment to advancing innovation and research.

On that note, we hope you can attend our Stanford Research Career Stories mini-series and hear from experienced Stanford staff about their career journeys. We also encourage you to visit the Clinical Research Support Office for additional resources and services for researchers.  

On behalf of our leaders and our research community, thank you for your dedication. 

Mary M. Chen, MS, MBA
Executive Director, Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute
Assistant Dean for Maternal and Child Health Research, Stanford School of Medicine

This message originally appeared in the MCHRI Newsletter March 2021.

On behalf of the entire MCHRI leadership team, I am writing to express our gratitude to all of you as we navigate the many unique challenges posed by COVID-19 and social unrest over the last year. As always, the maternal and child health research community rose to the challenge. You inspire us every day. 

As always, the maternal and child health research community rose to the challenge. You inspire us every day. 

The pandemic laid bare the terrible health disparities in our country, and MCHRI responded in many ways. We dedicated a session during our annual symposium to MCHRI-funded research focused on health disparities, honored Fernando Mendoza, MD, MPH, as the 2020 recipient of the MCHRI Visionary Leadership Award for his tireless lifelong work to advance diversity, and launched a new program to fund research on the impact of racism and social injustice on maternal and child health. We are grateful for the passionate members of our community who served on the review panel and the many investigators who submitted compelling applications. Please visit our website to learn more about the funded proposals across many departments in the School of Medicine and consider submitting an application for the next cycle in April. 
 
From the outset of the pandemic, the School of Medicine leadership has worked tirelessly with the University and county to enable ongoing research activities while keeping our workforce safe. Please refer to the Cardinal Research Recovery Handbook for updates. We are fortunate that we were able to vaccinate our patient-facing providers and clinical research staff. Simultaneously, many investigators pivoted their research to address the impact of COVID-19, from shoe-leather epidemiology studies on virus transmission to fundamental discovery research on the molecular biology of the virus. We owe a depth of gratitude to Ruth O'Hara, PhD, Senior Associate Dean of Research, and the research continuity committee members, including Mary Chen, MS, MBA, for advocating on our behalf. Please join me in thanking them for their support.

Mary Leonard, MD, MSCE
Director, Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute
Arline and Pete Harman Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, Stanford School of Medicine
Adalyn Jay Physician in Chief, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford

This message originally appeared in the MCHRI Newsletter January/February 2021.

As 2020 comes to a close, we look back at this year’s remarkable highlights and MCHRI’s commitment to advancing innovative maternal and child health research.

As 2020 comes to a close, we look back at this year’s remarkable highlights and MCHRI’s commitment to advancing innovative maternal and child health research.

Critical to this mission is building the necessary infrastructure to support clinical research taking place at Stanford Children’s Health (SCH). With instrumental support from SCH and MCHRI leadership, the Clinical Research Support Office (CRSO) made unprecedented progress to streamline clinical and translational research operations.

Led by Karl Sylvester, Mary Chen, Alyson Falwell, and Sijo Thomas, the CRSO formed an inaugural SCH IS research governance committee; built a new hospital research intake database, and implemented rigorous training for SoM staff working inside the children’s hospital. With IS governance and leadership support, CRSO rolled out numerous research functionalities in Epic for providers and research staff. Necessitated by the pandemic, CRSO engaged heavily with hospital privacy leadership to enable remote clinical trial safety and compliance monitoring in Epic for research continuity.
 
Another transformative effort that strengthened the clinical and translational research portfolios between SoM and SCH was the launch of MCHRI’s Drug and Device Development (D³) service headed by Grant Wells. This service, along with coordinated efforts from CRSO, provides resources for Stanford investigators to navigate the translational process to deliver better treatments to our patients, such as assistance with IND/IDE submission and regulatory support.
 
We work closely with the Foundation to provide a robust funding mechanism for philanthropic support of research at MCHRI. Thanks to visionary gifts for the Uytengsu-Hamilton 22q11 Neuropsychiatry Research Program and Additional Ventures Innovation Fund Single Ventricle Research Program, MCHRI aims to spark innovative research ideas and multi-disciplinary collaborations. Earlier this year, we welcomed Rachael Panizzo as the new program director for the 22q11 Neuropsychiatry Research Program and expanded the program to fund additional research awards outside Stanford.
 
We are committed to promoting scientific advances in diversity, health equity, and social justice. The Executive Leadership recently expanded the institute’s portfolio by establishing a new pilot grants program for research on structural racism, social injustice, and health disparities in maternal and child health. Additionally, MCHRI is working on a new program in 2021 to sponsor URM undergraduate students who have interests in maternal and child health scholarly projects. The program is aimed at maintaining the pipeline of diverse students interested in biomedical research careers. 
 
We are inspired by how our community has mobilized to engage in educational initiatives amid the pandemic. Last month, the Education Committee organized MCHRI’s third annual research symposium as a virtual event for over 800 participants, showcasing an incredible array of research from stem cell and gene therapy to school-age learning in COVID-19. Over 80 poster presenters shared their scientific work with virtual attendees through video abstracts and poster presentations.
 
We are grateful to our partners, donors, and members for their invaluable contributions during an unprecedented year. Be sure to check out this month’s feature story on the Stanford Prematurity Research Center and neonatology investigators. We look forward to hearing more about your exciting work as we head into 2021. From all of us at MCHRI, we wish you a safe and warm holiday season.

David K. Stevenson, MD
Co-Director, Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute
Harold K. Faber Professor of Pediatrics and Senior Associate Dean for Maternal and Child Health
Stanford School of Medicine 

This message originally appeared in the MCHRI Newsletter December 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of our research activities and, in spite of these challenges, has emboldened us to charge forward on initiatives that further clinical and translational research at Stanford Children’s Health (SCH).  

The SCH Clinical Research Support Office has been working tirelessly with hospital departments and School of Medicine users to develop an electronic intake portal for all clinical and translational research projects taking place at SCH. 

The SCH Clinical Research Support Office (CRSO) has been working tirelessly with hospital departments and School of Medicine (SoM) users to develop an electronic intake portal for all clinical and translational research projects taking place at SCH. In September 2020, CRSO announced the implementation of this new intake tool for all future new studies requiring support from hospital departments.
 
Designed for research teams to connect with hospital departments and units early in their study initiation, ideally before IRB submission, the information collected will help the hospital departments plan for operational, staffing, and training requirements to support research studies. The process will also help build the cost of services into study budgets early in the planning. As a first step for initiating any new clinical research studies at SCH, study teams will now be directed to use this intake portal to help with planning for their projects.
 
CRSO acknowledges the incredible staff and research professionals at SCH who have contributed to this effort, as well as to ongoing initiatives to enhance infrastructure support for clinical research. CRSO recognizes these ‘Research Champions’ on the website for their support and expertise.
 
As Stanford gradually resumes research endeavors on campus, please explore the resources offered through the CRSO to support your studies. If you have any questions about this new intake portal or require assistance with planning for your research projects at SCH, please reach out to CRSO at crso@stanfordchildrens.org. 

Karl Sylvester, MD
Director of Clinical Research Support Office, Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute
Associate Dean for Maternal and Child Health Research and Professor of Surgery (Pediatric Surgery)
Stanford School of Medicine

This message originally appeared in the MCHRI Newsletter November 2020.

As the COVID-19 pandemic persists into Fall, a new challenge arises: Educational opportunities for learners of all ages. The MCHRI Education Committee remains committed to fostering an interactive academic community and driving educational initiatives so we may all stay connected.

The MCHRI Education Committee remains committed to fostering an interactive academic community and driving educational initiatives so we may all stay connected.

In February, MCHRI launched its first translational medicine course in Monterey, California. The course was inspired and supported by the Eureka Institute for Translational Medicine and led by Stanford’s own Eureka alumni. 23 learners completed this career-development program and are now part of our growing community of translational medicine scientists. The Eureka alumni have been instrumental in building a robust local network and are taking a leadership role in Eureka Virtual Courses around the globe. The alumni welcome new members to join!
 
The MCHRI monthly seminar series continues to draw interested members from our growing local and national research community. In March, we converted our talks to virtual events, expanding our community reach at Stanford and beyond. We will have hosted nearly 30 talks in the last two years, with topics ranging from adolescent and young health to child health disparities to maternal-fetal medicine. Please see the list of upcoming timely and stimulating talks on our website. 
 
On Nov. 6, our virtual annual research symposium will highlight outstanding scholarly research being performed at Stanford, featuring keynote Boston Children’s Hospital Chief Scientific Officer Dr. David A. Williams who will speak on stem cell and gene therapies. The event will showcase scientific advances in diversity, health equity and social justice, including ongoing work on health disparities in immigrants by Fernando Mendoza, reconceptualizing research for people of all gender and sexual orientations by Juno Obedin-Maliver, and study on implicit bias by Ananta Addala. A final session will focus on challenges of school-age learning in COVID-19 with Bonnie Maldonado, Lee Sanders, Jason Wang, and Amy Gerstein. Interactive virtual poster sessions will occur throughout the day. Register for the symposium and join us at this important event.
 
We looking forward to expanding our educational and training impact within the community. Please contact the Education Committee with your ideas!  

Anthony Oro, MD, PhD
Co-Director, Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute 
Eugene and Gloria Bauer Professor of Dermatology, Stanford School of Medicine
Associate Director, Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine, Stanford University

This message originally appeared in the MCHRI Newsletter October 2020.

From our inception over 10 years ago, MCHRI has sought to solve the greatest health challenges facing expectant mothers and children. Chief among these are the lifelong effects of poverty and health disparities on our patients, and on children in our community who are healthy by not thriving. 

These programs speak to our commitment to promoting healthy lives for all mothers and children. 

MCHRI has funded a spectrum of community-based research programs with important advocacy and policy implications. These include a study, led by Dr. Fernando Mendoza with a transdisciplinary team of Stanford sociologists, immigration experts and political scientists, to determine the impact of DACA and changing immigration policies on access to health care and preventive services by immigrant families. Similarly, Dr. Lisa Chamberlain collaborated with faculty in the School of Education to develop an intervention to improve literacy levels in young children from the most impoverished and disenfranchised families in our community. These programs speak to our commitment to promoting healthy lives for all mothers and children. 
 
Against the backdrop of uncertainty and suffering during a global pandemic, the deep trauma of racism and social injustice has exploded with increasing force. This has been compounded by the fact that the toll of coronavirus deaths laid bare the social injustice in our health care system. In response, MCHRI has created a new funding opportunity entitled Research on the Impact of Racism and Social Injustice on Maternal and Child Health. These grants, due October 15, will be evaluated by experts in community based participatory research, health policy and health disparities.
 
We are grateful to the entire Stanford community for its passionate commitment to solving the most difficult challenges in maternal and child health and hope this new funding mechanism will spark new and creative strategies to meet these challenges. Please join us at the MCHRI Annual Symposium on Friday, November 6 where we will dedicate a session, Scientific Advances in Diversity, Health Equity, and Social Justice, to this work.

Mary Leonard, MD, MSCE
Director, Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute
Arline and Pete Harman Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, Stanford School of Medicine
Adalyn Jay Physician in Chief, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford

This message originally appeared in the MCHRI Newsletter September 2020.

While COVID-19 continues to greatly impact and disrupt our research activities, our research community remains stronger than ever. We are encouraged by how you have continued to innovate, finding creative ways to conduct limited research activities within the guidelines necessary to keep us all safe.

We are encouraged by how you have continued to innovate, finding creative ways to conduct limited research activities within the guidelines necessary to keep us all safe.

Likewise, MCHRI forges ahead in building infrastructure to support your work. One vital resource we launched is the Clinical Research Support Office (CRSO) at Stanford Children’s Health (SCH). Established in Spring 2019 with endorsement from executive leadership at SCH and MCHRI, CRSO serves as a central resource for hospital departments and research teams in the execution of clinical research at SCH.

At our July webinars, Dr. Karl Sylvester (CRSO director) and Ms. Alyson Falwell (CRSO operations manager) describe the role of CRSO in addressing challenges in clinical and translational research; and Mr. Sijo Thomas (clinical research informatics manager from SCH IS) describes efforts to expand the use of Epic research capabilities at SCH, including our partnership with numerous SCH teams to develop an approved process for remote Epic access for research monitors that went live in June 2020.

One top CRSO priority is developing an online SCH study intake portal for investigators to engage hospital units as upstream as possible in their study initiation. This intake will alert relevant hospital departments about new potential research studies. This allows hospital teams to assess feasibility and scope the resources required to support the study, while streamlining communication for research teams who need to engage multiple hospital units for a given study. 

Another exciting news this month is the arrival of Rachael Panizzo, PhD, who joins MCHRI as the new Program Director for the Uytengsu-Hamilton 22q11 Neuropsychiatry Research Program. Dr. Panizzo will lead this donor-driven program that includes a grants component. These awards will fuel a strong scientific community focused on the neuropsychiatric manifestations of 22q11 Deletion Syndrome, both at Stanford and beyond.

Check out our new 22q11 Neuropsychiatry Research Program and CRSO webpages to learn more about these resources. We look forward to hearing from you and always appreciate news from our MCHRI community.

Mary M. Chen, MS, MBA
Executive Director, Stanford Maternal & Child Health Research Institute
Assistant Dean for Maternal & Child Health Research, Stanford School of Medicine

This message originally appeared in the MCHRI Newsletter August 2020.

A key goal of the Maternal and Child Health Research Institute (MCHRI) is to catalyze investigative efforts across the University and to encourage the translation of discoveries into diagnostics and therapeutics that improve the health of mothers and children everywhere. Toward this aim, MCHRI embraces strategic partnerships, offers training and education, and provides quality research support for investigators to conduct effective studies at Stanford Children's Health (SCH).

With executive leadership from SCH and MCHRI, the Clinical Research Support Office aims to streamline translational research and improve clinical support for the execution of research studies in maternal and child health.

MCHRI’s partnership with the Byers Center for Biodesign offers rigorous training in health technology innovation for faculty to address critical maternal and child healthcare needs and deliver valuable innovations to patients. Through the partnership with the Eureka Institute for Translational Medicine, MCHRI sponsors investigators to participate in courses focused on understanding the translational medicine pathway and solving unmet health needs.
 
MCRHI’s new Drug and Device Development Training provides real-world experience for scientists to cultivate skills in translational medicine while learning about the development of novel therapeutics and diagnostics for pregnant women and children. With executive leadership from SCH and MCHRI, the Clinical Research Support Office (CRSO) aims to streamline translational research and improve clinical support for the execution of research studies in maternal and child health.
 
As MCHRI continues to enable the translation of discoveries through these coordinated efforts, we hope you engage in these opportunities and utilize the resources offered through the CRSO to support your work that will deliver better treatments and better care for mothers and children.

David K. Stevenson, MD
Co-Director, Stanford Maternal & Child Health Research Institute
Harold K. Faber Professor of Pediatrics
Senior Associate Dean for Maternal and Child Health
Stanford School of Medicine

This message originally appeared in the MCHRI Newsletter July 2020.

The Clinical Research Support Office (CRSO) is making exciting progress towards its mission to support and enhance the clinical and translational research (CTR) portfolio across Stanford Children’s Health. Consistent with Stanford Children’s Health Vision 2025, CRSO is working to align clinical-operational resources and to enhance infrastructure support for clinical research between the School of Medicine and Stanford Children’s Health.

The CRSO leverages additional institutional leadership across operations including informatics, regulatory agency reporting, patient privacy, and other needed support for the execution of studies in maternal and child health.

With Stanford School of Medicine’s receipt of a five-year, $53 million grant renewal in July 2019 through the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program from National Institutes of Health (NIH), CRSO is increasingly playing a key role to fulfill the grant objective of promoting research in special populations with a particular focus on pregnant women and children. The CTSA Program is overseen by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) at the NIH.

CRSO’s Executive Advisory Committee unites leadership from Stanford Children’s Health, Stanford School of Medicine, and the MCHRI in order to catalyze CRSO’s effort to streamline translational research within the clinical enterprise. The CRSO leverages additional institutional leadership across operations including informatics, regulatory agency reporting, patient privacy, and other needed support for the execution of studies in maternal and child health. 

Taking a holistic view of CTR at SCH, the CRSO is forging additional relationships with the Department of Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice led by Director Annette Nasr, RN, PhD. The CRSO is pleased to collaborate with the Department of Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice to extend their services to support hospital staff within Patient Care Services at SCH with research design, IRB application preparation, grant writing, dissemination, educational workshops, and evidence-based practice projects.
 
As the CRSO continues to expand CTR capabilities at SCH broadly, we encourage you to explore the resources offered through the CRSO and our commitment to supporting your important scholarly work in service to all of our patients at Stanford Children’s Health.

Karl Sylvester, MD
Director of Clinical Research Support Office, Stanford Maternal & Child Health Research Institute 
Associate Dean for Maternal & Child Health Research and Professor of Surgery (Pediatric Surgery)
Stanford School of Medicine

This message originally appeared in the MCHRI Newsletter June 2020.

The world of maternal and child health changed in the past three months as the virulent SARS CoV2 pandemic has challenged our health care system, compelling us to innovate in health care delivery and our medical researchers to turn their focus in understanding this new foe. We are grateful for the frontline Stanford health care workers who have provided outstanding care during this time. We encourage you to visit the MCHRI COVID-19 webpage with resources and up-to-date information. 

Challenges brought on by the pandemic have provided our research community an opportunity to innovate in several ways.  

Challenges brought on by the pandemic have provided our research community an opportunity to innovate in several ways.  MCHRI investigators are studying viral effects on pregnant mothers and infants, on viral transmission, and on testing new therapies as part of a campus-wide research response detailed here.  Under the leadership of Natalie Pageler, CMIO, and Sijo Thomas, RN, MSN, MBA, Clinical Research Informatics Manager, Stanford Children’s Health has expanded virtual health visits for both COVID-19 related, and to allow the continuation of essential research programs. This capability expands the ability to care for patients in their homes or offices. 

Finally, MCHRI has created new virtual opportunities to educate and exchange information.  The monthly seminar series continue virtually, with Carlos Milla, MD, and Zachary Sellers, MD, PhD, giving the next lecture on June 1st on advances in cystic fibrosis. The Annual Research Symposium on November 6th will also be a virtual symposium, allowing us to develop a unique and interactive experience to share scientific ideas and deepen ties within the community. We appreciate your continued support of the MCHRI as we rise to the unique challenges this pandemic brings.

Anthony Oro, MD, PhD
Co-Director, Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute 
Eugene and Gloria Bauer Professor of Dermatology, Stanford School of Medicine
Associate Director, Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine, Stanford University

This message originally appeared in the MCHRI Newsletter May 2020.