# Expansion of Clinical Trials Access to Rural and Underserved Children of Louisiana

> **NIH NIH UG1** · LSU PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CTR · 2021 · $416,207

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Louisiana's children are some of the most vulnerable in the country and are disproportionately affected by a
number of health disparities. Enhancing the ability to implement high quality clinical trials directed toward the
five focus areas of the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program (pre-, peri-, and
postnatal outcomes; obesity; upper and lower airways; neurodevelopment; and positive health) has the unique
potential to improve health outcomes for all children in Louisiana and across the United States. With the
establishment of the IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN) in 2016, the Louisiana site
consisting of researchers from Pennington Biomedical Research Center (PBRC) in Baton Rouge and Tulane
University in New Orleans successfully enhanced pediatric research capacity and infrastructure to conduct
clinical trials, trained new pediatric researchers, and participated in clinical trials implemented by the Network in
the first cycle. This renewal will allow our Louisiana site to expand the reach of the ECHO ISPCTN to additional
sites across the state (Children's Hospital New Orleans and Our Lady of the Lake Children's Hospital), to train
additional pediatric researchers, and to conduct additional important clinical trials. Moreover, continuing to work
with the established infrastructure and modeling the processes of inter-institutional collaboration created by the
Louisiana Clinical and Translational Science Center (LA CaTS) Center (PI: John Kirwan; U54 GM104940; IDeA
CTR) will allow for further dissemination and conduct of clinical trials across Louisiana. The ECHO ISPCTN with
the assistance of NIH Project Scientists will identify research protocols of high priority appropriate to the
Network's goals and objectives. Our local study team will ensure that study protocols proceed efficiently through
regulatory and budgeting processes, are implemented effectively, and meet recruitment goals and timelines. We
will ensure mentoring of our two junior faculty and appropriate training of our research staff. Moreover, the Senior
Faculty Development Leader will work with the entire research team to implement a clinical research skills
development program. By building and expanding the research infrastructure in Louisiana, developing uniform
study protocols, and synergizing with other ECHO ISPCTN sites across the United States, the Louisiana ECHO
ISPCTN site will continue to bring new discoveries to the children of Louisiana while addressing the health
disparities that disproportionately affect the State.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10242949
- **Project number:** 5UG1OD024959-04
- **Recipient organization:** LSU PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** John C Carlson
- **Activity code:** UG1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $416,207
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-23 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10242949

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10242949, Expansion of Clinical Trials Access to Rural and Underserved Children of Louisiana (5UG1OD024959-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10242949. Licensed CC0.

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