The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Advisory Council met on June 3 to receive updates regarding the Institute’s research activities and to review grant applications slated for award.
A major theme of this meeting was data science. Dr. Matthew Salganik and Dr. Kathy Edin, both from Princeton University, were invited to deliver “The Unpredictability of Life Outcomes: Evidence from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS).” Their remarks addressed the survey’s design and contents and how social scientists use FFCWS data to answer questions regarding the impact of familial, social, and environmental influences on child health and development. In addition, they discussed methods social scientists and data scientists employ to manage survey data’s limitations and increase its utility. Dr. Edin also underscored how the survey’s data are used to train emerging scholars.
Their presentation was followed by a “Voice of the Participant” segment in which a long-time participant in the study, “Mary Lou,” shared her experience. During her remarks, Mary Lou explained how she and her son were recruited and how their engagement in the study evolved as Luke matured. She thanked NICHD for supporting the FFCWS and urged the Institute to continue investing in child development research.
The entire public session of the June 3 NICHD Advisory Council meeting can be viewed at: NIH VideoCast - National Advisory Child Health and Human Development (NACHHD) Council. Dr. Salganik and Dr. Edin’s remarks begin at the 2-hour, 29-minute point. The Voice of the Participant segment begins at the 3-hour, 1-minute mark.
More information about the NICHD Advisory Council, including the agenda from the June 3 meeting, is available at: National Advisory Child Health and Human Development (NACHHD) Council | NICHD - Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (nih.gov).