# ECHO PRO Research Resource: A Developmentally-based Measurement Science Framework for Assessing Environmental Exposure and Child Health

> **NIH NIH U24** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $3,116,788

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY: We propose to resource the ECHO consortium with state-of-the-science patient
reported outcome (PRO) assessment and analysis, enabled by our existing clinical, developmental,
psychometric, analytic and technical expertise. The scope of responsibility for the ECHO PRO Core will
include: 1) maintaining and providing adult and pediatric exposure and health assessments that include self-
and proxy- reports, observational measures of child functioning within multiple contexts, and performance
measures of multiple facets of child functioning; 2) assisting the Coordinating Center (CC) and cohort sites with
inclusion and appropriate use of PROs and observational measures into the ECHO studies; 3) developing and
validating new instruments (and modifying existing instruments as needed); and 4) advising on data analyses
that include ECHO PRO tools, including psychometric analyses to evaluate new and existing measures as they
perform in the ECHO Consortium. To achieve this, we propose four specific aims: Aim 1 is to serve as the
ECHO PRO research resource, providing direction and expertise on the selection, development and validation
of self-report, observational and performance-based adult and child PRO (cPRO) measures. We will frame and
enable strategies that are available to the longitudinal cohort studies of the ECHO consortium to explore the
relationship between environmental exposures and child health outcomes. Aim 2 is to standardize, organize,
curate and analyze the data arising from the PRO core element data collection at the Cohort Sites. Working
closely with cohort site staff as well as the CC and DAC, we will assemble, integrate, and analyze PRO data
with regard to its reliability, validity, developmental sensitivity and variability, and relationship to other critical
environmental and clinical variables. This aim includes thorough curation of the entire spectrum of measures in
the ECHO PRO Core. Aim 3 is to provide the software and hardware necessary to support the collection,
transfer and storage of the PRO data collected by the Consortium. We will provide an integrated platform for
automated use of a survey engine, data capture, and secure data transfer. This platform will be compatible
with various modes of information collection (including web/mobile based entry, non-digital paper source data,
and others). Finally, Aim 4 is to provide overall management, coordination and communication regarding the
work of the ECHO PRO Core with the NIH, CC and other ECHO constituents. We will centralize ECHO PRO
resources around Assessment Center technology and our HealthMeasures content that includes all of the
major assessment systems named in the RFA. These systems will be supported by our personnel with
expertise in outcomes research, statistics, psychometrics, survey design, information technology, and
qualitative / cross-cultural methods. We will also engage and manage input and expertise of several
consortium sites and expert co-inves...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10240583
- **Project number:** 5U24OD023319-04
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** DAVID CELLA
- **Activity code:** U24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $3,116,788
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-21 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10240583

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10240583, ECHO PRO Research Resource: A Developmentally-based Measurement Science Framework for Assessing Environmental Exposure and Child Health (5U24OD023319-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10240583. Licensed CC0.

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