Learn about some of the SIDS and infant mortality research to which Lach's Legacy has made contributions.

We are grateful to those who have dedicated their careers to understanding the factors that contribute to sudden infant deaths, in hopes of finding the answers that will prevent families in the future from having to experience such a tragic loss. 

ECHO study at Avera

Under the direction of Dr. Amy Elliott at Avera, this local research team is working hard to uncover exposures and environmental factors that may increase a risk of infant death.
They are also studying parental grief and helping the medical community better understand the normal spectrum of parental grief responses. To see more about their work, Click Here.

Robert’s Program at Boston Children’s

This group is responsible for finding clear links to serotonin abnormalities in babies who die unexpectedly. They are working to develop a blood test to identify at-risk children. They are also doing extensive genetic testing on babies who have died, and their families, to understand potential links and risks factors for the sudden and unexplained death. They are also doing some remarkable work on parental grief. To see more, Click Here

Safe Passage Study

This research was done in South Dakota
Findings were published in January of 2020

Study Findings:
Infants prenatally exposed to both alcohol and cigarettes continuing beyond the first trimester have a substantially higher risk for SIDS compared to those unexposed, exposed to alcohol or cigarettes alone, or when mother reported quitting early in pregnancy. Given that prenatal drinking and smoking are modifiable risk factors, these results address a major global public health problem.
Click Here for the full article

Dr. Rachel Moon, MD

From University of Virginia School of Medicine Child Health Research Center:
Dr. Moon studies factors affecting sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related infant deaths, including accidental suffocation, asphyxia, and ill-defined deaths. Behavioral risk factors include infant sleep position and location. She has used both quantitative and qualitative research techniques to better understand factors that influence parental decisions about where and how their infants sleep, and to develop innovative interventions.
For more, Click Here