Congratulations to Christine Field, Arbor Quist, Courtney Lynch and Olorunfemi Adetona for receiving a spring 2025 IPR Seed Grant. IPR awarded the grant funds for their following projects:

• Dr. Christine Field, College of Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology
  Patient Perspectives on Postpartum Interventions to Improve Future Maternal Cardiovascular Health After Gestational Diabetes
  Poor maternal heart health is an important problem with serious consequences and gestational diabetes during pregnancy can increase the risk of poor heart health across a woman's lifespan. The preferences of and barriers faced by postpartum individuals and their families can influence how and whether they participate in interventions to improve heart health in the first year after having a baby. The results of this study will inform the development of an intervention program aimed at equitably improving heart health after a pregnancy affected by gestational diabetes.
   
• Dr. Arbor Quist, College of Public Health, Epidemiology; Dr. Courtney Lynch, College of Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology; Dr. Olorunfemi Adetona, College of Public Health, Environmental Health Sciences
  Examining the Association Between Oil and Gas Development and Adverse Birth Outcomes in Ohio
  Prenatal exposure to environmental toxicants, including from oil and gas development, is a significant contributing factor to preterm birth. Our study will create a new comprehensive metric of exposure to oil and gas development, including data on actively producing wells, injection wells, road spreading of oil and gas wastewater, compressor stations, and spills, and examine its association with preterm birth in Ohio. This project will address a research gap and answer community concerns regarding how these components of oil and gas development affect perinatal health.

IPR offers seed grants to nurture and promote population research, with a focus on research that will eventually result in external funding. Seed Grants can be used to collect or acquire data, conduct preliminary analyses, develop new collaborations, or other activities that help strengthen research proposals. Priority is given to research that falls within one or more of IPR's four thematic areas, and we especially value research that fits within the scientific mission of the NICHD Population Dynamics Branch.

The next deadline for Seed Grant applications is October 15, 2025.