RTI tapped for $10.2M disability research contract

RTI International has won a five-year, $10.2 million contract with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to advance developmental disability research.

The research is aimed at determining the causes and prevalence of developmental disabilities, such as autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability and hearing or vision loss, the company said in a release.

RTI will support ongoing surveillance and epidemiology work conducted by the Developmental Disabilities Branch of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.

“Under this contract, we have the opportunity to contribute to important research that increases our understanding of autism and other developmental disabilities,” said Nedra Whitehead, project director and a senior genetic epidemiologist at RTI.

Also under the contract, RTI will continue its support of a number of surveillance activities, including the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network and the Metropolitan Atlanta Developmental Disabilities Program, the company said.

RTI will also be involved in epidemiologic research programs under the contract, including the Georgia Study to Explore Early Development, which addresses critical gaps in the understanding of risk factors and causes of autism and other developmental disabilities, RTI said.

Subcontractors to the contract are HR Directions and the Marcus Institute.