news & updates
Winter 2021| Issue 2
Welcome to the Life Course Intervention Research Network's Winter 2021 newsletter!

2020 was a year unlike any other for all of us, and the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to rethink both our methods and our priorities as we confronted our societal challenges and inequalities head on. While some of the challenges are new or exacerbated by COVID-19, the inequalities and ways that we suffer are not – they have only been made more obvious. We at the LCIRN believe that we can and must use this opportunity to build back stronger and more equitable social structures and wider safety nets that serve everyone, and to drastically change the way we all think about and value wellbeing.
COVID-19 and Children's Well-Being: Report on a Rapid Research Agenda
In addition to the direct physical effects of COVID-19 infection, children and families potentially face acute and long-term threats to their health and well-being from the larger systemic and social disruptions resulting from society’s response to the pandemic. The secondary effects may not be easily measurable, but have the potential to run deep, with latent effects that may cause significant harm over the lifespan. 

Between July and September 2020, the LCIRN facilitated a series of four virtual meetings with 46 stakeholders from ten Maternal and Child Health Research Networks and other partners, covering a broad range of disciplines across academia, clinical practice, nonprofit organizations, and family advocacy groups. 

The group explored threats and challenges to children’s well-being, such as school closures and reduced socialization with peers, as well as the opportunities and supports that had emerged during the pandemic response such as the widespread use of telehealth to support both physical and emotional well-being.

The resulting research agenda includes priority areas for research as well as recommended research approaches. Read the summary report here.
Upcoming Events

Strategies for Engaging Stakeholders in Research

February 17 at 11am PT/2pm ET

A team from the Jordan Institute for Families will present examples of how to engage stakeholders in research including human-centered design, research co-design, paired systems mapping and data walks, and stories. They will share how they adapted to virtual methods during COVID, and guide us to consider how these methods can help or hinder equity in research.

Updates

The YPAR Hub website now includes a fully virtual curriculum for Youth Participatory Action Research and Virtual Photovoice.

DPBnet recently published a study on family navigation to increase access to ASD diagnostic services for children in low-income communities.


Shirley Russ reviewed the book Complex Systems and Population Health for the LCIRN.
Highlights from LCIRN Year 2

  • Doubled network membership, with over 70 active members and 2000+ listserv members


  • Node research teams submitted nine proposals for external funding, including 2 R01s, 1 R03, 1 R21, 1 R34 and 3 small/seed grants

  • Funded five pilot studies for researchers to conduct preliminary research and data collection that will help them to secure external funding for life course intervention research.


  • In collaboration with the Lifespan Enterprise Committee, LCIRN partially supported a webinar series designed to build a visual toolkit for life course researchers


LIFE COURSE INTERVENTION RESEARCH NETWORK | lcirn.ucla.edu
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under award UA6MC32492, the Life Course Intervention Research Network. The information, content, and/or conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS, or the US Government. any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS, or the US Government.