Buckeye Reporter

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On August 17, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced a $12,093,282 research funding award to The Ohio State University to improve outcomes for women who experience diabetes during pregnancy, also known as gestational diabetes (GDM). GDM is one of the most common medical complications of pregnancy, affecting up to 10 percent of pregnancies in the U.S. Despite the fact that the number of pregnant women who develop GDM is increasing each year, there haven’t been any clinical trials in the U.S. to compare the two main treatments utilized to decrease the risk of complications associated with GDM for both mom and baby. Today’s funding award will allow researchers at The Ohio State University to conduct a clinical trial researching the effectiveness of two different treatments for GDM, which will help improve access to necessary GDM treatments, provide mothers with more choice in their prenatal health care, and help to address racial inequalities in healthcare outcomes, as minority communities are more likely to be affected by GDM.

“No mother-to-be should have to worry about how she will get the care she needs to keep herself and her baby healthy during pregnancy and post-partum,” said Brown. “By learning more about what treatments work best, we can improve the quality of care for both moms and babies. This nonprofit investment is a testament to Ohio’s leadership in health care research, and will help improve treatment options for pregnant mothers.”   

This funding award is from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), an independent, nonprofit research organization authorized by Congress in 2010 that seeks to empower patients, caregivers, and clinicians with actionable information about their health and health care choices through comparative clinical effectiveness research.

Original source can be found here.