Recorded presentation

Michael C. Lu, MD, MPH, Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, 650 Charles E. Young Drive South, Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, (310) 825-5297, mclu@ucla.edu

Objective: To explore the future research agenda for perinatal health Methods: Current literature and databases are reviewed to address the following questions: 1) What are the major data sets and sources in perinatal health research now and what are they likely to be in the future? (2) What are the current key issues facing researchers in perinatal health? (3) What are the future research questions that will arise in perinatal health? Results: Current perinatal health research is largely limited by 1) a disconnect between the perinatal period and the rest of the life course, 2) a disconnect between an individual and her environment, and 3) a disconnect between biomedical and social science research. Future perinatal health research calls for 1) longitudinal integration to better understand life course influences on perinatal outcomes and perinatal influences on life course outcomes, 2) contextual integration to better understand how environmental factors interact with individual biology (e.g. gene-environment interactions) to produce perinatal outcomes, and 3) methodological integration to better understand the multi-level determinants of perinatal health with multi-disciplinary collaboration. Conclusion: A more integrative approach to perinatal health research is needed.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Describe current major data sets and sources in perinatal health research,
• Identify three major limitations with current perinatal health research, and
• Articulate three major goals for future perinatal health research.

Keywords: Perinatal Health, Research Agenda

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation