Examining the public health consequences of Michigan's requirement of parental consent for research use of dried blood samples from newborns

The Foundation's program, Public Health Law Research: Making the Case for Laws That Improve Health, was designed to build the evidence for public health law and policy, translate research findings into practical tools to increase the support for and use of law by policy makers and public health practitioners, and to translate findings to other fields and venues to improve and protect health.This study will assess whether the Michigan Department of Community Health's policy requiring parental consent for research use of residual newborn screening dried blood samples leads to the maintenance of a robust sample collection that supports population health-based research. This study will determine whether Michigan's consent model for the use of these samples ensures: (1) the integrity of the state newborn screening program, (2) the maintenance of a robust sample collection that supports population-based research, and (3) informed decision-making by parents. The potential impact is far-reaching. These results will help inform the development of other state policies regarding this contentious issue.Deliverables include: a legal toolkit for state policymakers that will be made available on the Network for Public Health Law (Network) website, materials for presentations at national meetings, webinar presentation materials, and manuscripts for academic literature. The project integrates academic research expertise with legal and dissemination capacity at the Network.

Grant Details

Amount Awarded $148,042.00

Awarded on: 11/8/2012

Time frame: 11/15/2012 - 5/14/2014

Grant Number: 70515