Research Centers
University of Cincinnati Center for the Study of Prevalent Neurotoxicants in Children
Children Hospital of Cincinnati
The EPA (ORD) and the NIEHS established four new Centers for Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research. These centers will conduct multi-disciplinary basic and applied research in combination with community-based projects to study the causes and mechanisms of children's developmental disorders with special emphasis on environmental exposures which may put children at risk of these disorders. This initiative builds upon a related program, which in 1998 created eight Centers. The prior program emphasized three research areas: respiratory disorders; growth and development; learning and behavior. The new Centers, specifically address developmental disorders. Expansion of the existing program will provide for additional Centers which focus on the rising prevalence and incidence of cognitive, motor, sensory, and behavioral impairments in children and the environmental exposures of children which may put them at risk of these disorders. The long-range goals of this program are twofold:
- To stimulate new research on the role of environmental exposures in the etiology and prevention of developmental disorders in children
- To promote translation of basic research findings into applied intervention and prevention methods, thereby enhancing awareness among children, their families, and health care practitioners regarding detection, treatment, and prevention of environmentally related diseases and health conditions.