October 17, 2023

Dr. Rebecca Fry

Dr. Rebecca Fry

Rebecca Fry, PhD, Carol Remmer Angle Distinguished Professor and Interim Chair in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, and T. Michael O’Shea, MD, MPH, C. Richard Morris, MD Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics in the UNC School of Medicine, have been awarded $2.1 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue their participation in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program.  

The team has been funded for their second phase of their groundbreaking research initiative to optimize the health of children born extremely preterm from 2023 to 2030.  

With a mission to investigate the effects of early social and biological exposures on child health outcomes, this grant will enable the expansion and extension of the ECHO Cohort’s critical work, particularly focusing on diverse populations. 

The primary objectives of the ELGAN-ECHO project are to evaluate predictors of exposure to environmental stressors — both chemical and non-chemical — during the preconception period, pregnancy and early childhood. 

The team will also identify factors that can modify the relationships between environmental exposures and neurological and genetic development before and after birth.  

“This grant provides us with a unique opportunity to delve deeper into the intricate web of factors influencing child health outcomes,” says Fry, the Principal Investigator of ELGAN-ECHO. 

“We believe our research will not only advance scientific understanding but also inform policies and programs to enhance children’s health.”  

The project brings together specialized expertise in environmental epidemiology related to the environmental and genetic factors that can impact neurological development before and after birth.  

Dr. Michael O'Shea

Dr. Michael O’Shea

“This funding provides an unprecedented opportunity to increase understanding of how the prenatal and postnatal environment shape the life course of individuals born extremely preterm towards the eventual goal of improving the healthy lifespan of this group of people,” says O’Shea, Principal Investigator of ELGAN-ECHO. 

The ELGAN-ECHO project underscores the significance of a collaborative and solution-oriented approach, utilizing a study population that is large, diverse and measured for an extended period of time in order to create meaningful change in child health practices, programs and policies. 

For more information about the ECHO Program and ELGAN-ECHO, please visit the NIH ECHO Website


Contact the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health communications team at sphcomm@unc.edu.

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