Iowa doctor wins grant to study drug babies

An Iowa doctor has won a grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse to continue her studies on the effects of drugs on babies. Dr. Rizwan Shah says she’ll compare the similarities and differences in children who’re exposed to cocaine and methamphetamine, or a combination of the drugs. Shah says she’ll focus on the children’s physical growth and the development of their physical functions. Shah says her research will be a used as a guideline for future research spending.She says the methamphetamine epidemic is having a huge impact on children.She says forty-percent of the people entering drug treatment programs are women, and many of them are of childbearing age. Shah recieved a grant for 25-thousand dollars for her work at Blank Children’s’ Hospital in Des Moines.