The National Institutes of Health has formed the Trans-NIH Pediatric Research Consortium to coordinate pediatric research programs across its institutes and centers. Nearly all of the 27 NIH institutes and centers fund some aspects of child health research. In fiscal year 2017, this support totaled more than $4 billion. The new consortium aims to harmonize these activities, explore gaps and opportunities in the overall pediatric research portfolio, and set priorities.

“NIH-funded research has resulted in tremendous advances against diseases and conditions that affect child health and well-being, including asthma, cancer, autism, obesity, and intellectual and developmental disabilities,” said Diana W. Bianchi, MD, director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the lead NIH institute for the consortium. “This consortium aims to capitalize on this momentum by enhancing crosstalk between scientific disciplines to address the wide range of health conditions experienced by children in this country and around the world.”

The new consortium will be led by the NICHD Director. In addition to project-based interactions, the full consortium will meet several times a year to discuss scientific opportunities and potential new areas of collaboration, including efforts to enhance training for the next generation of pediatricians.