The Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch

The Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch (PPB) supports research to:

Improve the health of women before, during, and after pregnancy
Reduce the number of preterm births and other birth complications
Increase infant survival that is free from disease and disability
Ensure the long-term health of mothers and their children
To achieve its goals, the PPB awards grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts for research, ranging from basic laboratory science to bedside clinical trials. Some of the topics of interest to the Branch include exploring how healthy babies develop and what can go wrong in the process; identifying better ways to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases in pregnant women and newborns; and evaluating the safety and effectiveness of innovative devices and instruments to better care for mothers and their babies.

In addition, the PPB provides support to train the next generation of medical researchers in maternal-fetal medicine, neonatology, and related fields