# Archiving and Documenting Data from the NICHD MFMU Network and MOMS Studies

> **NIH NIH R03** · GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $63,000

## Abstract

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network was set up in 1986 to conduct major randomized trials and
observational studies in maternal-fetal medicine. Two observational studies – the Cesarean Registry
and the Assessment of Perinatal Excellence (APEX) study – together provide detailed obstetric and
delivery information on 192,000 women, with a particular focus on maternal morbidity. The purpose of
the Cesarean Registry was to determine the safety and success of trial of labor in women with a prior
cesarean delivery. The purpose of APEX was to evaluate measures of quality of care. In both studies,
detailed information on maternal morbidity and patient characteristics were collected. By harmonizing
these two datasets we can provide a rich resource for researchers in high risk obstetrics.
The NICHD also supported the Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS), a ground-breaking
trial of surgical repair of the spina bifida defect before the baby is born versus the usual postnatal
surgical repair. In addition, MOMS2, a follow-up study of the children at 6 to 10 years old has recently
been completed. The trial and the follow-up study serve as a model for other trials in the area of
maternal-fetal surgery where both the mother and fetus undergo a procedure before birth. We propose
to create a linked dataset, which while preserving privacy, will provide researchers with a unique
resource of longitudinal data in the field of maternal-fetal therapy.
As the data coordinating center for both of these initiatives (MFMU and MOMS) we will make the
carefully curated data with appropriate metadata available to the NICHD Data and Specimens Hub in
response to PAR-20-064 ‘Archiving and Documenting Child Health and Human Development Data
Sets’.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10110501
- **Project number:** 1R03HD103864-01
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Cora Ann Buckley MacPherson
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $63,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-03-11 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10110501

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10110501, Archiving and Documenting Data from the NICHD MFMU Network and MOMS Studies (1R03HD103864-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10110501. Licensed CC0.

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