# Neonatal Research Training Program

> **NIH NIH T32** · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · 2024 · $552,379

## Abstract

Project Summary
There is a great need to increase academic physician scientists in Newborn Medicine who will perform high
level laboratory, clinical, translational, and health services research to improve our understanding of the
pathobiology of developmental diseases, health disparities, and long-term morbidities. The main objective of
our training program is to train postdoctoral physician scientists by providing a structured, mentored, intensive
research experience to advance our knowledge of developmental diseases and improve short and long-term
health outcomes of children. Equally important, this renewal application requests the resources to continue our
record of training physician scientists to become future national leaders and mentors. The unique fetal and
early postnatal periods of rapid organ growth represent a critical window in which environmental exposures can
result in epigenetic changes that underlie the pathogenesis of a multitude of diseases including psychiatric
disorders, cancer, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases. There is no other time in the life of a human when
even minor medical interventions can have such a profound impact on long term health, underscoring the need
to train neonatology physician-scientists who can focus on diseases of this critical developmental stage. The
Harvard Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Training Program has a ~ 50-year history of training physician scientists
who now lead national programs in academic neonatology. Historically, most of our graduates (>80%)
continue in academic careers whereas the national average has remained ~35%. We have a large pool of
outstanding eligible applicants combined with a highly accomplished mentoring faculty in the rich scientific
community of Harvard Medical School which allows us to train top candidates in our field. Our 3-year research
and career training program broadly focuses in four areas: 1) The study of molecular, cellular, and epigenetic
mechanisms of normal development and perinatal injury; 2) Investigation in neonatal genomics to uncover the
genetic basis of complex disorders and develop precision medicine-based therapeutic strategies; 3) Clinical
studies using bioinformatic approaches, biomarkers science, clinical trials and health outcomes research; and
4) Innovative imaging of the fetus and newborn, including placental function and hemodynamics. A mentoring
program and scholarship oversight committee is assembled for each trainee to provide mentoring in scientific
and career development. Didactic courses are required for both basic and clinical research training and
supplemented with relevant seminars, a course in the responsible conduct of research, a DEI curriculum on
anti-racism and community advocacy as well as an annual research symposium. Advisory committees of
national experts advise on candidate and mentor selection, scholarly progress, and overall success. We have
a strong history of advancing the career of URiM trainees and multiple strategi...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10847206
- **Project number:** 2T32HD098061-06
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Stella Kourembanas
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $552,379
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2019-05-01 → 2029-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10847206

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10847206, Neonatal Research Training Program (2T32HD098061-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10847206. Licensed CC0.

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