Federal Grant Award Summary

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) awarded The Leland Stanford Junior University a Project Grant (T32 training mechanism) totaling $357,237 under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865). The award, effective May 1, 2026, through April 30, 2031, funds the Advanced Stanford Center for Early Human Development (ASCEHND), a comprehensive research training program designed to prepare two graduate and three postdoctoral scholars in the biology of early human development. The program will provide intensive investigative training spanning 2-3 years and address critical gaps in researcher expertise regarding the transition from intrauterine to early extrauterine life, with particular emphasis on integrating cutting-edge artificial intelligence and data science methodologies into developmental research.

The ASCEHND program addresses the significant research training shortage in early human development, a field with substantial public health impact given that major gestational syndromes affect more than one in ten pregnancies nationwide. The training curriculum will equip scholars to investigate genomic, maternal, and environmental factors shaping infant health and lifelong disease risk during the embryonic, fetal, and neonatal periods. Trainees will gain proficiency in translating foundational developmental biology research into practical applications that improve human health outcomes for individuals, families, and communities. The research will be conducted at Stanford University's Palo Alto, California campus.