Surveillance of Congenital Heart Defects Across the Lifespan

Please distribute this information to your faculty and eligible PIs who may have an interest in submitting an application to this program

Limited Submission Funding Opportunity for Texas A&M Faculty and PIs

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Surveillance of Congenital Heart Defects Across the Lifespan

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=275368

Limited Submission Program (LSP): This funding opportunity and the Limited Submission Program (LSP) is open to all Texas A&M University faculty and principal investigators who meet the eligibility requirements. Texas A&M and The Texas A&M University System agencies jointly administer this process to select the proposal(s) that will be submitted to the sponsor in response to this solicitation.

Institutional Eligibility:  Only 1 application per organization as determined by the organization's Dun & Bradstreet number will be accepted.

The proposal will be prepared and submitted by Sponsored Research Services (SRS).

Proposal Limit: 1

Summary:  This new, competitive FOA will expand the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities’ programs conducting birth defects surveillance with a focus on congenital heart defects (CHDs) among individuals of all ages.

The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD), Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (DBDDD) seeks to fund collaborative projects to:

1. Category A: Build on existing infrastructure for population-based CHDs surveillance to (i) link additional years of surveillance data for both adolescents and adults identified having a CHD, (ii) identify factors associated with optimal healthcare and improved outcomes, (iii) evaluate factors that impede appropriate transition from pediatric to adult care, (iv) expand surveillance activities to include the lifespan, if  possible, and (v) develop pilot projects to translate public health best practices into action; and

1. Category B: Develop and implement innovative approaches for conducting population-based surveillance of CHDs in adolescents and adults, and if possible, across the lifespan, by linking existing data sources. Surveillance data will be used for descriptive epidemiology, to identify comorbidities, and examine healthcare utilization and referral to timely and appropriate services.

CHDs are one of the most prevalent birth defects in the United States affecting about one percent of all births and are a leading cause of birth defect-associated infant mortality, morbidity, and healthcare costs.  However, most current efforts to conduct population-based surveillance of CHDs have focused on monitoring newborns, and little data exist on the prevalence and descriptive epidemiology of CHDs beyond early childhood in the United States. Improvements in treatment of CHDs and consequently in survival have resulted in many individuals, even those affected by a very severe CHD, living into adolescence and adulthood. Current estimates suggest there are over 2 million people living with a CHD in the United States, including over one million adults; about 12% of these affected adults have a severe CHD. Despite the public health burden, the lack of population-based surveillance for CHDs among individuals of all ages in the United States precludes reliable data on the actual prevalence, and the type and number of health services required to address the health needs of these individuals, costs of such health services, and longer term outcomes including comorbidities and survival of individuals living with CHDs. Given that many individuals with CHD are living into adolescence and adulthood, they will need to transition their care from pediatric to adult-centered care. In the absence of structured programs to guide this transition, there can be delayed or inappropriate care, improper timing of the transfer of care, and undue emotional and financial stress on the patients, their families, and the healthcare system. Without appropriate transition, patients may not stay in care and be lost to follow-up. There is a need for furthered understanding of transition of care issues and perceptions of need for specialty care.

Dates:

Internal Selection Procedures:

Texas A&M has established a procedure to identify limited submission opportunities and internally select proposals for Texas A&M submissions.  Please contact us if you have any questions about the limited submission process.