U3D Maternal and Child Health Measurement Research Network (MRN)

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This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding for the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Measurement Research Network (MRN) Program.  The purpose of this program is to coordinate a national platform to recruit, convene, and actively engage researchers and family members to identify and fill gaps in existing MCH measures.  This national MRN is an interdisciplinary Research Network focused on supporting, optimizing, and centralizing MCH-related health measurement research (hereafter referred to as “the Network”). The cooperative agreement will establish and maintain an interdisciplinary, multi-site, collaborative Network that will lead, promote, and coordinate national research activities to highlight and advance health measurement research, and where appropriate, build on existing work in the field.  Research activities include developing new measures or validating existing measures across different MCH priority topic areas, produce an evolving compendium of both validated and non-validated or pilot MCH measures, identify gaps in existing measures for future research purposes, and facilitate implementation and dissemination of appropriate tools and resources critical for informing research and practice for MCH populations.  The Network infrastructure will support interdisciplinary research projects that focus on fostering the implementation, translation of research to policy and practice.  It will also support mentoring and training of the next generation of applied and translational clinical and non-clinical measurement researchers. The Network should prioritize the identification, development, dissemination, and cross disciplinary adoption of measures to address gaps in the following topical areas: family engagement, adequacy of pediatric health care utilization,[1] parent-infant dyadic relational health,[2] positive child health and wellbeing,[3] and measures related to maternal morbidity and mortality.[4]  Reliable, validated measures on these topical areas are important in addressing health disparities and improving health outcomes for MCH populations.  The Network should incorporate relevant HRSA priorities that are aligned with Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant national performance measures, including opioid and substance use disorder, mental health, maternal morbidity/mortality, and/or childhood obesity (Appendix C).  The Network should provide quantifiable evidence and metrics demonstrating the adoption of the developed and/or validated measures by diverse stakeholders. [1] Jones MN, Brown CM, Widener MJ, Sucharew HJ, Beck AF. Area-Level Socioeconomic Factors Are Associated With Noncompletion of Pediatric Preventive Services. Journal of Primary Care and Community Health. 2016;7(3):143-148. [2] Robert W and Chicot R.  The importance of early bonding on the long-term mental health and resilience of children, London Journal of Primary Care. 2016; 8(1):12-14. [3] Kandasamy V, Hirai AH, Ghandour RM, Kogan MD. Parental Perception of Flourishing in School-Aged Children: 2011–2012 National Survey of Children's Health. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. 2018;39(6):497-507. [4] Cheng TL, Kotelchuck M, Guyer B. Preconception Women’s Health and Pediatrics: An Opportunity to Address Infant Mortality and Family Health. Academic Pediatrics. 2012;12(5):357-359.

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