Whether raising children, caring for aging parents or navigating a personal health challenge, everyone deserves answers that make life better. Spartan researchers are finding those answers, turning federal research funding into everyday solutions that help families live longer, healthier lives.

From the first signs of childhood health risks to the realities of chronic illness and elder care, MSU researchers partner with communities to study what keeps us well. With support from federal agencies, their work is advancing treatments, providing actionable health advice, making care more accessible and training the next generation of health care professionals. It’s research that doesn’t stay in the lab — it meets people where they are at every stage of life.

Thousands of families are helping MSU researchers understand how environmental factors like air pollution, chemical exposure and inadequate nutrition impact children’s health and how early interventions can change lives.

In Michigan, 2,000 families are enrolled in ECHO, or Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes, a study created by the National Institutes of Health and led by MSU researcher Jean Kerver. The associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics works to understand how these factors affect children from different backgrounds.