The November 2012 NICHD Director’s podcast is now online. This month’s podcast featured presenters from a recent NICHD Exchange program, “Sleep: the ABC’s of Zs.” The NICHD Exchange is a series of quarterly meetings in which NICHD administrators and scientists present relevant findings designed to spur thought provoking conversations to inform the NICHD research effort. For this month’s podcast, four guests discussed aspects of sleep research pertaining to the NICHD mission. Recapitulating their talks from the recent Exchange were: David Klein of the Division of Intramural Research, who described the genetic factors governing sleep, Caroline Signore of the Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch, who reviewed the literature on sleep and pregnancy, Lynne Haverkos, of the Child Development and Behavior Branch, who reviewed the research literature on how sleep influences child and adolescent development, and Paul Albert, of the Division of Epidemiology, Statistics, and Prevention Research: who described the statistical methods used to inform an ongoing NICHD study involving adolescent sleep patterns and other aspects of adolescent health.
Research Perspectives is a monthly podcast providing updates on the latest scientific findings from the institute. Each month, NICHD Director Alan E. Guttmacher talks with NICHD scientists and program staff about findings from their areas of expertise. The series provides a means for researchers to go beyond the descriptions in news releases, to discuss the implications of the research, what the findings may mean for patients and members of the public, as well as what direction future studies might take.
The November podcast is available at http:// www.nichd.nih.gov/about/overview/directors_corner/podcasts/Documents/NICHD_Research_Perspectives_113012.mp3 (MP3 - 21 MB) and the transcript at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/about/overview/directors_corner/podcasts/Pages/transcript_perspectives_113012.aspx.
Previous NICHD Research Perspectives are available at http:// www.nichd.nih.gov/researchperspectives.
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About the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit the Institute's website at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/.