Dr. Matthew Gillman: Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) A Nationwide Resource for Child Health Research

Speakers:

Matthew W. Gillman, MD, SM

National Institutes of Health
Director, Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program

Key Takeaways:

• Founded in 2016, the ECHO Program has brought together over 100,000 participants and hundreds of researchers who have collaborated to conduct research that can inform programs, policies, and practices.
• ECHO research findings reflect the collaborative work of the ECHO Cohorts and the ECHO IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN) across five child health areas: pre-, peri- and postnatal health, upper and lower airways, obesity, neurodevelopment, and positive health. ECHO research also reflects cross-cutting themes, including diversity, equity and inclusion; team science; solution-oriented research; and stakeholder engagement.
• During this presentation, Dr. Gillman reviewed some key ECHO research results and reflected on the unique strengths of the ECHO Program, including its dual focus on observational and intervention research. On the observational side, the ECHO Cohorts boast a large, diverse, nationwide sample of children and their families. On the intervention side, the ISPCTN features access to state-of-the-art clinical trials in rural or underserved communities.
• Moving into the future, ECHO will continue to build on its achievements and lessons learned to conduct research that will enhance the health of children for generations to come.

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Gillman joined the National Institutes of Health in 2016 as the inaugural director of the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program.  Dr. Gillman came to NIH from Harvard Medical School, where he was a professor of population medicine and director of the Obesity Prevention Program, and Harvard School of Public Health, where he was a professor of nutrition. With background in the fields of internal medicine, pediatrics, and epidemiology, he has led cohort studies and randomized controlled trials and published widely in prevention of chronic disease across the life course.  Dr. Gillman won mentoring awards at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, and has served in several national and international leadership positions, including on the United States Preventive Services Task Force and for the International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, from which he won the David Barker Medal in 2017.  His clinical experience includes primary care for children and adults, and preventive cardiology among children.

Date: Wednesday, August 9th, 1 to 2pm ET

Dr. Gillman’s Slides