The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a new website that offers parents and healthcare providers an insider’s guide to children’s medical research (www.ChildrenAndClinicalStudies.nhlbi.nih.gov). The website combines information about how clinical studies in youth are conducted with award-winning video of children, parents, and healthcare providers discussing the rewards and challenges of participating in research.

SADS 2009 objectives include a renewed emphasis on research and medical professional education. Many SADS families have taken the opportunity to participate in research studies already and we're glad to help them continue to contribute to greater medical understanding. The NIH's new site provides resources useful to any parents of a SADS affected child looking for more information on the risks and benefits associated with participating in research studies.

"Clinical Studies are essential to improving our understanding of how to diagnose, prevent, and treat disease - as well as how to stay healthy - and this is true of children as well as adults. We hope this new resource will help parents and others learn more about how clinical studies are conducted in children, so they can make well-informed decisions about whether to enroll their child in a study"    -Elizabeth Nabel, MD