Urology care plan for children born with spina bifida
Official title: Comp C Spina Bifida Urologic Protocol at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
Funded at Vanderbilt University Medical Center · NIH-11400829 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Using a standardized urology care plan for newborns and children with spina bifida to help protect kidneys and improve bladder control.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Vanderbilt University Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nashville, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2019 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2023 |
| Award (this year) | $25,000 |
| NIH project number | 6U01DD001234-05M002 |
| Project ID | NIH-11400829 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Newborns and young children (up to about 10 years of age) with spina bifida who are followed through Vanderbilt's Spina Bifida Program are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Adults, people without spina bifida, or children who already have severe, irreversible kidney damage are unlikely to benefit from this protocol.
What this research studies
If your child was born with spina bifida, this protocol follows them from the newborn period up to age 10 with regular urology checks and tests. Vanderbilt clinicians collect detailed, long-term information on imaging, bladder studies (including videourodynamics), treatments, and outcomes. The team aims to use the same care steps across patients so they can spot clinical signs that predict kidney problems or difficult bladder function. Data are entered and quality-controlled for contribution to the UMPIRE effort and shared with the broader UMPIRE network to guide better care.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the protocol could help doctors choose care that better preserves kidney function and improves bladder continence for children with spina bifida.
How similar studies have gone: Related UMPIRE work from participating centers has produced published data and helped inform care, although longer-term outcomes are still being clarified.
Where this research is happening
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Clayton, Douglass Brooks — Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Clayton, Douglass Brooks
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Improving care and outcomes for people living with spina bifida in Wisconsin
A patient-friendly project aims to improve everyday care and health outcomes for people with spina bifida in Wisconsin.
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The National Spina Bifida Patient Registry at University of Pittsburgh
A national registry project at the University of Pittsburgh aims to collect and organize information about people with spina bifida to improve care.
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Improving Care and Outcomes for People Living with Spina Bifida
A patient-friendly project aims to improve how people with spina bifida are cared for and how well they do over time.
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Scoliosis and neurosurgical factors in myelomeningocele: a clinic registry study
This project uses registry data from Penn State’s Spina Bifida Clinic to understand how brain and spine-related issues influence when and why scoliosis surgery is needed in people with myelomeningocele.
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UMPIRE: Better Urologic Care for Babies with Spina Bifida
This grant tests how to best protect kidney function in newborns with spina bifida by comparing and refining urologic care practices across multiple hospitals.
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Spina Bifida Collaborative Care Network to Improve Outcomes
A national program is expanding coordinated care networks and a patient registry to help people with Spina Bifida get better, more consistent care.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.