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PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have formed a new consortium that will study the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on preterm birth and prenatal care, funded by $300,000 in grants from the Independence Blue Cross Foundation, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware's donor-advised fund, and BluePrints for the Community. The consortium, known as the AQUEDUCT Perinatal Research Collaborative, will also include researchers from Yale University, Nemours Children's Health System, and Northwestern University.
Heather H. Burris, MD
"The COVID-19 pandemic has led to profound changes in the way prenatal care is being delivered and utilized, on top of changes to the way pregnant women lead their everyday lives," said Heather H. Burris, MD, an attending neonatologist at CHOP and co-lead investigator of the research. "This funding will allow us to explore the effect these shifts are having on preterm birth and perinatal care and whether those effects vary by socioeconomic or demographic groups."