Environmental Hazards (Nutrient Competitors)

The Foundation is interested in projects that evaluate the effects of environmental hazards on infants and young children. Applied research projects that document the impact of, or ameliorate effects of, environmental hazards on the growth and development of infants and young children are the focus of this area of interest.

Typical projects funded in this area of interest may include projects aimed at:

  • Exposures and their effects on infants and toddlers
  • Methods to lessen the effects of exposures

Note that the Foundation does not restrict this area to the ‘natural environment’ but considers exposures within the infant’s or toddler’s environment, whether manmade or natural. These exposures may be caused by hazards within the NICU environment (noise, light, medical equipment, etc.), the home environment (carpeting, plastics, etc.), or exposures from breastmilk caused by parental behavior (marijuana, drugs, etc.).

Recent projects include:

Roberto Garofalo, MD
University of Texas Medical Branch

$342,069 for a study of anti-COVID antibodies in human milk

Vivian Valcarce, MD
University of Florida

$20,000 for a study of human milk antibody response after maternal COVID vaccination

Angelica Meinhofer, MA, PhD
Weill Cornell Medical College

$250,000 over 2 years to study mortality, morbidity, and healthcare utilization among newborns with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome