Expanding Premature Infant Follow-Up Care Research With 5 New MedImmune Fellowship Grants

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Also Included In: Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry;  Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses;  Neurology / Neuroscience
Article Date: 14 Oct 2008 - 3:00 PST

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Five neonatology fellows have been awarded grants designed to stimulate interest and research in the area of follow-up care of the premature infant as part of MedImmune's Fellowship Program. The grants, which underscore MedImmune's commitment to expanding research within pediatric medicine, will provide each recipient's institution a $35,000 grant, totaling $175,000 in research funding. The five recipients were acknowledged on Sunday, October 12, 2008 at a reception coinciding with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2008 National Conference and Exhibition.

MedImmune, a leading biotech with broad expertise in infectious disease research, has awarded funding for respiratory viral disease study during the past five years. The company expanded its program to include grants on premature infant follow-up care to help broaden research in other areas of pediatrics.

"To fully protect premature children from potentially severe pediatric infectious diseases and other health and developmental issues, we must further explore best-practices for appropriate follow-up care," said Frank J. Malinoski, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president, medical and scientific affairs. "MedImmune is honored to support the five fellows with the continuation of this important research to ensure more is being done to address the specialized health needs of premature infants."

The five fellowship recipients were selected by independent reviewers consisting of external pediatric physicians from across the United States. All candidates were required to be full-time fellows in an American Board of Pediatrics-accredited fellowship program and be conducting original research as their primary focus.

The Fellowship Program grant recipients are:

• Jennifer Benjamin, M.D.
  Neonatology Fellow, Duke University
  Project Title: Utility of Pre-Discharge Cerebral Oximetry in Premature Infants With and Without Residual Lung Disease - Impact on Growth, Health, and Development In the First Year of Life
  
  
• Malgorzata Bulanowski, M.D.
  Neonatology Fellow, Rochester University
  Project Title: Reach Out and Read. The Outcome of NICU and Neonatal Clinic- Based Intervention on Language Development in Preterm Born Children
  
  
• Amy Fowler, M.D.
  Neonatology Fellow, University of Texas at San Antonio
  Project Title: Genetic and Environmental Influences on Growth, Motor, Cognitive, Behavioral and Language Development of Premature Infants
  
  
• Elizabeth Rogers, M.D.
  Neonatology Fellow, University of California San Francisco
  Project Title: Defining The "New" Prematurity: Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Preterm Infants Conceived by Assisted Reproductive Technologies.
  
  
• Charles Sauer, D.O.
  Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellow, University of California San Diego
  Project Title: Improving Longitudinal Growth in Preterm Infants with Individualized Fortification of Breast Milk with Near Infrared Spectroscopy

In addition to the 2008 Fellowship Program, MedImmune has invested an additional $550,000 this year in educational and charitable grants to various AAP chapters in support of pediatric health and the AAP's Preemie Health Coalition. The Preemie Health Coalition is a consortium of more than 25 national organizations that have assembled under the AAP to marshal their resources and experience on behalf of premature infants who cannot advocate for themselves.

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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About MedImmune

MedImmune is a leading innovation-focused biotechnology company whose mission it is to provide better medicines to patients, new medical options for physicians and rewarding careers to employees. Dedicated to advancing science and medicine to help people live better lives, the company is focused on infection, oncology, respiratory disease and inflammation, cardiovascular/ gastrointestinal disease and neuroscience. Headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, MedImmune has approximately 3,000 employees worldwide and is the wholly owned biologics business for AstraZeneca plc (LSE: AZN.L, NYSE: AZN) . For more information, visit MedImmune's website at http://www.medimmune.com/.

Source: Tor Constantino
Edelman Public Relations