Division of Epidemiology, Statistics, and Prevention Research

As an intramural division, the Division of Epidemiology, Statistics, and Prevention Research, at
the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
(NICHD), has an ambitious three-fold mission that includes:
• Conducting innovative high-impact research aimed at improving the health of populations;
• Training and mentoring the next cadre of public health and clinical researchers; and
• Providing professional service at varying levels.
The Division appeared on the NICHD’s organizational chart five years after the Institute’s
founding, denoting a longstanding commitment to epidemiological, statistical, and behavioral
research. The Division comprises the Office of the Director, three research Branches, a
Computer Sciences Section, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-D.C. Initiative to
Reduce Infant Mortality in Minority Populations, called the D.C. Initiative. The Division’s
research is conducted in its three Branches:
• The Biostatistical & Bioinformatics Branch (BBB) conducts original statistical methodologic
research aimed at developing new methodologies for researchers working within the
Institute’s mission, while also engaging in collaborative research as a part of team science.
• The Epidemiology Branch (EB) designs and conducts reproductive, perinatal, and pediatric
epidemiologic research utilizing novel study designs and methodologies.
• The Prevention Research Branch (PRB) designs and conducts research focusing on young
drivers, adolescent behavior, and the family management of diabetes.
Since its last report to the National Advisory Child Health and Human Development (NACHHD)
Council in 2005, the Division has successfully accomplished its mission while also expanding its
scope and stature. The Division increased its research productivity not only in terms of positive
publication and presentation trajectories, totaling 444 and 124 respectively, but also in terms of
its research scope. In particular, the Division increased its reproductive epidemiologic research
in response to the charge levied upon the Branch chief when recruited in 2000. The scope of
perinatal epidemiologic research has also expanded to include both the clinical management of
low-risk parturient women and etiologic research on pregnancy complications. The scope of
pediatric epidemiologic research also expanded to include research focused on not only genetic,
but also environmental determinants of birth defects, environmental threats for pubertal onset
and progression, and the effects of infertility treatment on children’s growth and development
through three years of age. In addition, the PRB’s research has expanded to include adolescent
behaviors and, in the near future, will address the interplay among genes and adolescent
behavior. The BBB, formerly the Biometry and Mathematical Statistics Branch, was renamed in
2008 in response to an updated research mission and scope that includes both biostatistical and
bioinformatics research domains. Division researchers remain committed to the dissemination
and translation of their findings and regularly work with regulatory agencies, policy entities, or
professional societies as appropriate.