In September 2016, NIH launched an initiative, the ECHO Program, whose mission is to enhance the health of children for generations to come. The Program has two major components, the ECHO Cohorts – for observational research, and the ECHO IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN)– for interventional research.

ECHO fulfills two congressional mandates: 1) that NIH continue a large-scale, long-term research study to investigate a broad array of early environmental factors influencing child health and 2) that NIH has a network dedicated to pediatric diseases as dictated in the CURES Act of 2016. With the ECHO Cohorts, NIH complies with the Child Health Act of 2000 through the incorporation of longitudinal cohort studies with a recruitment goal of 50,000 participants. As of March 2020, the Cohorts have enrolled an estimated 34,000 mothers and 50,000 children. The IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN) helps to fulfill the original intention of the National Pediatric Research Network Act of 2013, which the 21st Century Cures Act made mandatory in 2016.

An External Scientific Board works to oversee the program and consider how to overcome challenges to the ECHO Program and to provide advice on strategies to ensure the long-term success of the ECHO program. Members include individuals with scientific and biomedical expertise in pediatrics, early childhood development, maternal-fetal medicine, public health, environmental toxins, epidemiology, community-based participatory research, human subjects research and clinical trials, data science, bioinformatics, bioethics, parent/participant representation, as well as research with American Indian and Alaskan Native peoples.

The Board meets twice yearly, and reports to the Council of Councils, who advises the NIH Director on ECHO progress.

The ECHO External Scientific Board (ESB) will provide advice on strategies to ensure the long-term success of the ECHO program. Challenges to the ECHO Program include fostering a culture of collaboration; attending to numerous stakeholders, such as Congress, researchers, professional societies and participants; harmonizing data across disparate cohorts; capitalizing on expertise within as well as outside NIH; incorporating all ECHO components under one umbrella; reinforcing solid ethical principles throughout, promoting timely public sharing of important discoveries, ensuring early, sustained successes; and using funds wisely.

• ECHO External Scientific Board Charter