AUSTIN, Texas—St. David's Women's Center of Texas recently became one of three facilities in Texas and 37 in the nation to join the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units (MFMU) Network. The hospital's perinatal research program will serve as an ancillary site to the MFMU center at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
This nationally recognized research network was established in 1986 to reduce maternal complications, morbidities related to preterm birth and fetal growth abnormalities. Research includes randomized clinical trials, cohort studies and registries aimed at improving maternal and fetal outcomes.
“The MFMU Network is responsible for a large proportion of clinical trials that impact our practice of perinatal medicine on a daily basis,” Dr. Sina Haeri, director of perinatal research and co-director of maternal-fetal medicine at St. David's Women's Center of Texas, said. “Being part of a non-academic center that meets the rigorous research standards set forth by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development MFMU Network and its George Washington University data coordinating center speaks to the quality of multidisciplinary care and dedication of the staff at our hospital.”
St. David's Women's Center of Texas first launched its perinatal research program in 2013. Since then, the program has grown to include a fetal anomaly database leveraged across St. David's HealthCare, the development of new research protocols and a multidisciplinary approach to obstetrical management of high-risk pregnancies.
“Receiving this honor reinforces our belief that St. David's Women's Center of Texas sets a benchmark for the practice of perinatal medicine in Central Texas,” Dr. Haeri said.
For more information on the maternal-fetal medicine program and services offered at St. David's Women's Center of Texas, visit the Women's Center Of Texas page.