Texas has a new research collaborative focused on addressing the state鈥檚 high rate of pre-term births.
March of Dimes 鈥� a nonprofit advocacy and research organization focused on maternal and infant health 鈥� launched the collaboration, which includes UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and UT Medical Branch in Galveston. The Texas Collaborative marks the organization鈥檚 sixth Prematurity Research Center.
鈥淚t's really a historical moment for Dallas-Fort Worth and for the state of Texas,鈥� said Clint Abernathy, March of Dimes board chair and president of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance. 鈥淲e have an 11% preterm birth rate in the state of Texas and this research center is meant to find innovative ways to help correct that.鈥�
In 2023, there were over , representing about 1 in 9 babies. Abernathy said the point of the collaboration is to address that high rate by teaming up with expertise that already exists within the state.
鈥淲henever you have research that focuses in on those wonderful assets in the community in our future, it's very easy to tie into the mission,鈥� he said.
Dr. Catherine Spong, chair of UT Southwestern Medical Center鈥檚 OBGYN department, leads the project with another doctor in Galveston.
鈥淲e at UT Southwestern certainly do a lot of research and create evidence for practice which is very, very important to us,鈥� Spong said. 鈥淗aving the ability to leverage the March of Dimes network is going to be really important for us and a huge opportunity for our young faculty members as well as our experienced faculty members.鈥�
While there is some overlap in what each of the March of Dimes research centers bring to the table, Spong said each center has unique strength to contribute to the research network.
At UT Southwestern, researchers and investigators are dedicated to improving pregnancy outcomes and reducing preterm birth from a variety of angles, Spong said, including basic science and population health. She said the organization worked closely with March of Dimes to identify important areas of research UT Southwestern could offer.
The Texas collaboration is expected to contribute expertise and focus on nutrition and metabolism in pregnancy. Spong said brings its own expertise and resources, but it can also benefit from what other institutions have.
鈥淭hey may already have samples that are collected in a certain way,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey may already information collected in certain way that we can then leverage to be able to answer questions together.鈥�
UT Southwestern performs about 13,000 deliveries annually. The it provides at Parkland Health and Hospital system 鈥� the Dallas County public hospital 鈥� is responsible for about 150,000 prenatal visits and 10,000 deliveries annually, making it the 鈥渂usiest comprehensive maternity program鈥� in the country, according to UT Southwestern.
March of Dimes said the scale of UT Southwestern鈥檚 services offers access to a 鈥渓arge scale validation鈥� group for .
In addition, the collaboration is launching at a time when there are a lot of changes happening in health care and academic research that affect funding.
鈥淚t is a time when there's a lot of instability in the world,鈥� Spong said.
She said she hopes being connected to the March of Dimes network allows researchers to find answers faster for Texas and beyond.
鈥淭he opportunities for us to collaborate with other March of Dimes centers and [Prematurity Research Centers] is just transformational,鈥� Spong said. 鈥淲e're really excited about the opportunity.鈥�
Abigail Ruhman is 四虎影院鈥檚 health reporter. Got a tip? Email Abigail at aruhman@kera.org.
四虎影院 is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider . Thank you.
