Federal Investment in Child Health Research

Federal Investment in Child Health Research

Gather and improve reporting on federal investments in pediatric physician–scientist training to better inform national policy and funding discussions.

Initial efforts focused on clarifying how child health research is defined and measured in federal appropriations. This work resulted in a published manuscript in The Journal of Pediatrics (August 2025), “Defining Child Health Research to Guide Equitable Federal Appropriations,” which aimed to strengthen understanding of pediatric research investment and its implications for workforce sustainability.

In anticipation of 2026 NASEM Strategies to Enhance Pediatric Health Research, the workgroup paused further expansion of this effort to reassess priorities and align next steps with emerging national guidance.

Resources

Defining Child Health Research to Guide Equitable Federal Appropriations.

Dermody TS, Furth SL, Murray KF, Sims B, Manetto NP. J Pediatr. 2025 Aug 21:114794. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2025.114794.