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Mission
To enhance the health of children for generations to come.
About ECHO
Understanding the effects of environmental exposures on child health and development is a priority for the National Institutes of Health. To advance knowledge in this area, in 2016 NIH launched an extramurally funded program within the Office of the Director called the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. ECHO combines observational and intervention research to answer big questions about how influences on early human development—even before conception—affect us throughout our lives and across generations. ECHO focuses on five pediatric health outcome areas: pre-, peri- and postnatal; upper and lower airway; obesity; neurodevelopment; and positive health, such as happiness and a sense of well-being. Because ECHO scientists have many different areas of expertise, research can look at the whole child, not just one disease or outcome area. Learn more »