Researcher gets $300,000 for study on prematurity

PROVIDENCE – The March of Dimes has awarded a $300,000 grant to Dr. James Padbury, chief of pediatrics at Women & Infants Hospital and vice chair for pediatrics research at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, to study factors in prematurity.
Padbury is working to identify the pathways that cause preterm birth and the impact that infection, proteins, and environmental and genetic factors have on them. His is one of seven projects awarded three-year grants by the March of Dimes Prematurity Research Initiative.
“This research is critical to ending the epidemic of preterm birth,” said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes Foundation. “That’s why we created the PRI grants and continue to award them even in these difficult economic times. The goal is for every baby to be born healthy and full term.”
Preterm birth (before 37 completed weeks gestation) is a leading cause of infant death in the United States and a major cause of health problems, including respiratory issues, jaundice, developmental delays, vision loss and cerebral palsy. &#8226