# Eunice Kennedy Shriver NICHD Cooperative Multicenter Neonatal ResearchNetwork

> **NIH NIH UG1** · UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR · 2024 · $329,903

## Abstract

The University of New Mexico has an outstanding track record of contributions to the Neonatal Research
Network. Our team has provided leadership as Principal Investigators for trials including Hydrocortisone for
BPD, Darbepoetin for Neuroprotection in Preterm Infants, and both an observational and interventional study of
cardiovascular insufficiency in term infants. Dr. Jessie Maxwell developed a novel laboratory assay for
darbepoetin for the DARBE study. We have supported our junior investigators, including neonatology fellows,
in proposing studies to the network. With the addition of Dr. Maxwell as a co-investigator in this application, we
will continue to develop our leadership. She is the junior investigator for the IDeA States Pediatric Clinical
Trials Network (ISPCTN) at UNM, site PI for ACT NOWS studies and has an approved ISPCTN pilot study. Dr.
Fuller took on the role of PI earlier this year, providing leadership as we go forward; Dr. Watterberg will remain
as Alternate PI, providing continuity. Follow-up is a signature strength for UNM, both clinically and in outcomes
research. This is made possible by the close collaboration among Drs. Lowe, Fuller, and Watterberg. Dr. Lowe
is a well-established researcher in maternal-infant interactions, behavioral outcomes, and executive function
evaluation, and an NRN Bayley Gold Standard examiner. Our team has published efforts to create a
language-neutral developmental assessment and to understand the impact of language on developmental
testing. Dr. Lowe’s studies of early working memory as a language-neutral measure of early development and
as a significant predictor of verbal and processing skills at 6-7 years have been important contributions to the
neonatal outcome literature. Dr. Watterberg obtained NHLBI funding to study adrenal function and
cardiovascular outcomes at age 6 years in the SUPPORT NEURO school-age follow-up cohort. Dr. Lowe then
spearheaded additional investigations of behavioral outcomes in this cohort and the relationship of these
outcomes to cortisol awakening response. We expect to continue our significant contributions to outcomes
research during the next grant cycle. New Mexico is a ‘minority majority’ state, with 48% Hispanic and 9%
Native American individuals, the highest percentage of Hispanic individuals of any state and second to Alaska
for Native Americans. Our population is unique in the NRN for its high enrollment of Hispanic and Native
Americans, with 52% of our Generic Database newborns being Hispanic and 23% Native American since
2006, and 29 – 68% Hispanic and 27 – 50% Native American infants in consented studies. Our record of
contributions, our specific expertise in outcomes research, and our unique population make UNM an
exceptional candidate for the NRN.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10817741
- **Project number:** 5UG1HD053089-19
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Janell Fuller
- **Activity code:** UG1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $329,903
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2006-04-01 → 2030-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10817741

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10817741, Eunice Kennedy Shriver NICHD Cooperative Multicenter Neonatal ResearchNetwork (5UG1HD053089-19). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10817741. Licensed CC0.

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