WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Children's National Health System and Inova this week announced a new three-year, $2.8 million research and education collaboration in maternal, fetal and neonatal medicine that aims to leverage the strengths of both health care facilities to improve the health of pregnant women and their children.

The collaboration will streamline completion of retrospective and prospective research studies, shedding light on a number of conditions that complicate pregnancies. It is one of several alliances between the two institutions aimed at improving the health and well-being of children in Northern Virginia and throughout the region.

"The Washington/Northern Virginia region has long had the capability to support a major, nationally competitive research and academic program in maternal and fetal medicine," says Adre du Plessis, M.B.Ch.B., Director of the Fetal Medicine Institute at Children's National and a co-Principal Investigator for this partnership. "The Children's National/Inova maternal-fetal-neonatal research education program will fill this critical void.

"This new partnership will help to establish a closer joint education program between the two centers, working with the OB/Gyn residents at Inova and ensuring their involvement in Children's National educational programs and weekly fetal case review meetings," Dr. du Plessis adds.

Larry Maxwell, M.D., Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus and a co-Principal Investigator for the collaboration, further emphasizes that "Inova's experience in caring for women and children — combined with genomics- and proteomics-based research — will synergize with Children National's leadership in neonatal pediatrics, placental biology and fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to create an unprecedented research consortium. This will set the stage for developing clinically actionable interventions for mothers and babies in metropolitan District of Columbia."

Children's National, ranked No. 3 nationally in neonatology, has expertise in pediatric neurology, fetal and neonatal neurology, fetal and pediatric cardiology, infectious diseases, genetics, neurodevelopment and dozens of additional pediatric medical subspecialties. Its clinicians are national leaders in next-generation imaging techniques, such as MRI. Eighteen specialties and 50 consultants evaluate more than 700 cases per year through its Fetal Medicine Institute. In mid-2016, Children's National created a Congenital Zika Virus Program to serve as a dedicated resource for referring clinicians and pregnant women. The hospital performs deliveries in very high-risk, complex situations, but does not offer a routine labor and delivery program.

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