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Birth Defects
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Defects Research |
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Profiles of the Centers for Birth
Defects Research and Prevention
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Each Center for Birth Defects Research and
Prevention has a system for collecting data on all babies with birth
defects born in its state. The centers use these data to—
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Find trends in birth defects.
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Suggest areas for further research.
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Find factors linked with birth defects.
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Address community concerns about the environment’s effects on
birth defects.
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Measure how well screening and prevention efforts are working.
The centers take part in the National Birth
Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS) and study birth defects of local or
regional interest. They also use state-of-the-art technology to
study how genes affect birth defects.
Click on a state to read more about the activities of its research
center.
Georgia/CDC | Arkansas |
California | Iowa |
Massachusetts | New York | North
Carolina | Texas | Utah
![Map of state locations for Centers for Birth Defects Research and Prevention](images/bdmap.jpg)
Georgia Center, CDC
CDC oversees the CBDRP and gives technical support to the centers.
CDC is also the Georgia study site for the collaborative study.
Being a study site has helped CDC strengthen its research agenda,
particularly in studies of how genes and the environment interact to
cause birth defects. It has also made the most of CDC staff members'
expertise and participation in various birth defects research
projects. To strengthen the capacity of the CBDRP to carry out
research, CDC mentors and trains young scientists in birth defects
surveillance, research, and prevention. The agency also encourages
CBDRP researchers to work together and guides new epidemiologic
research.
Center-specific research
In addition to taking part in the study, CDC is involved in the
following other research projects and activities:
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Works with the National Council on Folic Acid to teach women of
childbearing age to take folic acid to lower the risk of having
a baby with a neural tube defect, or NTD. (NTDs are serious
defects of the head and spine). Easy-to-read materials have been
developed to reach a group at high risk for these defects.
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Works with Beijing Medical University to find risk factors for
birth defects and put prevention efforts into practice in two
areas of the People's Republic of China.
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Helped set up and directs the National Birth Defects Prevention
Network. This network is made up of people working at national,
state, and local levels to set standards for birth defects
tracking, design prevention activities, and gather and share
data.
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Helps states that are setting up birth defects tracking
programs; and funds states to promote the use of data for
prevention and intervention activities.
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“I am trying to identify risk factors for major
birth defects that can quickly lead to prevention
efforts.”
~Jennita Reefhuis,
Principal Investigator, Georgia Center (CDC)
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[Return to state map]
Arkansas Center
The Arkansas Center is a combined effort of the Department of
Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
(UAMS), the Arkansas Department of Health, and the Arkansas
Children's Hospital Research Institute. Since the Arkansas Center
was set up, the Arkansas Reproductive Health Monitoring System—the
state's birth defects tracking system since 1980—has expanded
dramatically. In 2002, the creation of a state-of-the-art genomics
laboratory greatly enhanced the center’s capacity for genetics
studies. The Arkansas Center leads the Arkansas Folic Acid
Coalition. The coalition encourages Arkansas women of childbearing
age to take folic acid daily and to eat foods rich in folate to help
prevent neural tube defects (NTDs) such as spina bifida.
Center-specific research
In addition to taking part in the study, the Arkansas Center is
doing the following research:
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Studying how a woman's intake of micronutrients and the way in
which her body uses folic acid may affect the risk for birth
defects. The study focuses on heart defects and NTDs such as
spina bifida.
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Studying nondisjunction and factors that cause trisomy,
including Down Syndrome. (Nondisjunction is when one or more
pairs of chromosomes fail to split when cells divide.)
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Assessing how much women know about folic acid. [Read
more]
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Teaching mothers of babies with NTDs about taking folic acid
before pregnancy to avoid having another baby with an NTD.
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Studying cost and quality-of-life impacts of birth defects to
inform decisions about the economic value of birth defects
prevention.
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“Our research team is trying to find lifestyle
and genetic causes of congenital heart defects and
neural tube defects…If we can spot these factors
before pregnancy and create programs to lower these
risks, perhaps we can prevent some birth defects.”
~Charlotte Hobbs,
Principal Investigator, Arkansas Center |
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[Return to state map]
Iowa Center
The Iowa Center is a joint effort of the Iowa Registry for Congenital
and Inherited Disorders and the Colleges of Public Health and Medicine
at the University of Iowa. The Iowa Registry has tracked birth defects
for more than 20 years and is the only surveillance system for birth
defects in the Midwest that uses active methods to find cases. Given its
location, the Iowa Center is uniquely positioned to study factors among
rural populations that might affect fetal development.
Center-specific research
In addition to taking part in the study, the Iowa Center is doing
the following research:
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Studying the link between compounds in drinking water and
adverse birth outcomes.
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Examining the link between exposure to farming chemicals and
birth defects.
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Studying genes, environmental exposures, and their interactions
as risk factors for orofacial clefts. [read
more]
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Looking at the effects of fertility treatments on the risk of
birth defects.
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“I’m looking at how an individual’s genes can
change the risk of birth defects when a mother
smokes or drinks.”
~Paul Romitti,
Principal Investigator, Iowa Center |
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[Return to state map]
California
Center
The California Center is a joint effort between the California
Department of Public Health, California Birth Defects Monitoring Program
(CBDMP) and the March of Dimes' California Research Division.
California’s research team has more than 20 years experience studying
birth defects. The center has one of the world’s largest databanks on
children with birth defects and a newly created biological specimen
bank. The state’s large, racially diverse population puts this center in
a unique position to find risk factors for birth defects among Hispanics
and Asians.
Center-specific research
In addition to participating in the study, the California Center is
doing the following research:
“My research focuses on neural tube defects,
oral clefts, and brain defects. I’m studying links
between genes, nutrients, and environment, with a
focus on folate-related genes.”
~Gary Shaw,
Principal Investigator, California Center
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Studying why Hispanics are at higher risk for neural tube
defects (NTDs) and why folic acid is not as effective in
preventing NTDs among Hispanics as among other groups.
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Assessing how a wide range of risk factors—maternal diet,
weight, acculturation, life event stress, socioeconomic status,
and family history—relate to NTDs, cleft lip and palate, and
certain heart defects. [read more]
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Studying the link between prepregnancy obesity and NTDs.
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Investigating whether genes and markers of inflammation raise
the risk of heart, limb, or other birth defects.
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Analyzing nutrient levels in blood collected mid-pregnancy among
mothers of babies with birth defects compared with those of
mothers of babies without defects.
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[Return to state map]
Massachusetts Center
The Massachusetts Center is made up of staff from the Massachusetts
Department of Public Health's Bureau of Family and Community Health,
Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center (SEC), and the Active
Malformation Surveillance Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH).
The Massachusetts Center draws on SEC and BWH’s more than 50 years of
combined experience in birth defects research. It also draws on the
expertise of the region's clinicians and researchers and fosters
communication among them. The center's research focuses on tracking and
research methods; pediatric, reproductive, and social epidemiology;
heart defects, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, limb reduction defects,
and orofacial clefts; teratology; drug research; and health service
needs assessment.
Center-specific research
In addition to participating in the study, the Massachusetts Center
is doing the following research:
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Studying use of over-the-counter medicines and herbal
preparations as risk factors for birth defects. [read
more]
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Looking at genetic differences that affect the body’s response
to medicine and how those differences affect birth defects.
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Examining the link between anti-epileptic drugs and birth
defects.
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Evaluating the risk for birth defects among infants of diabetic
mothers.
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Analyzing the impact of prenatal diagnosis on the prevalence of
birth defects, such as heart defects.
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Identifying patterns of multivitamin use during pregnancy.
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Developing methods of classifying and tracking birth defects.
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“My recent work has focused on treatments for
nausea and vomiting during pregnancy and how they
might harm the baby. The NBDPS collects data on
nausea and vomiting and medication use during
pregnancy, so it offers a chance to research
questions related to this common condition.”
~Marlene Anderka,
Principal Investigator, Massachusetts Center |
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[Return to state map]
New York Center
The New York Center is part of the New York State Department of Health's
Congenital Malformations Registry (CMR) and the State University of New
York School of Public Health. This registry is one of the largest in the
nation, covering a racially and ethnically diverse population with about
270,000 births each year. The New York Center has enabled CMR to develop
partnerships that strengthen its work and has provided resources to
build its research agenda, particularly in the area of gene regulation
and birth defects. The center's areas of expertise include geographic
information systems, exposure studies, environmental epidemiology,
folate metabolism, genetics, and social factors related to birth
defects.
Center-specific research
In addition to participating in the study, the New York Center is
doing the following research:
“I hope that we will find dietary information
that will help women have a healthy pregnancy
and…find those medications that women need to avoid
but also provide information on which medications do
not increase risk.”
~Charlotte Druschel,
Principal Investigator,
New York Center
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Studying the link between birth defects and maternal chronic
diseases and medication use.
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Studying the role of common exposures, such as the effects of
caffeine and alcohol on heart defects, and how genes and
environmental exposures interact.
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Examining quality-of-care issues for children with birth defects
and supporting the development of clinical guidelines to help
doctors properly diagnose children with birth defects.
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Studying screening methods to identify children with heart
defects before they leave the hospital. [read
more]
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Examining trends in abdominal wall defects and factors in infant
survival.
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Improving surveillance of neural tube defects and fetal alcohol
syndrome.
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Studying links between birth defects and exposures at a parent’s
job.
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[Return to state map]
North Carolina Center
The North Carolina Center is a joint effort of the Department of
Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health
at Chapel Hill and the North Carolina Birth Defects Monitoring Program
in the state’s Division of Public Health. The North Carolina Center has
enhanced a strong multiagency collaboration that has been developed over
the years. The center has a great depth of expertise in the areas of
epidemiology, surveillance, embryology, teratology, and medical
genetics.
Center-specific research
In addition to taking part in the study, the North Carolina Center
is involved in the following research:
“We want to find out why, if two people are
exposed to the same hazard, one develops a condition
and the other doesn’t. We want to know why some
people are more at risk for developing a condition
than others.”
~Bob Meyer,
Co-Principal Investigator,
North Carolina Center
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Evaluating gene-environment interactions and the risk of
selected birth defects including neural tube defects, oral
clefts, and heart defects.
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Examining risk factors and patterns in location and time for
gastroschisis (a defect of the abdominal wall).
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Studying parents’ work and environmental exposures and the risk
of birth defects.
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Evaluating how folic acid education programs affect the
prevalence of neural tube defects and intake of folic acid.
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Assessing potential barriers to access and use of health
services among children with birth defects and their families.
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[Return to state map]
Texas Center
The Texas Center is located in the Texas Department of State Health
Services in Austin. The Texas Birth Defects Registry collects
information on all cases of births defects in the state (about
14,000 births each year). These data are used to carry out different
studies to look at the causes of birth defects associated with
ethnicity, genetics, diet, and the environment. The Texas Center is
in a unique position to add to our understanding of the causes of
birth defects because of the 1,200-mile shared border with Mexico.
Health disparities between Texans living along the border with
Mexico and those living in non-border areas have long been a public
health concern. The majority of border residents are Hispanic, and
data from this area can be compared with other populations to
separate geographic factors from ethnic factors.
Center-specific research
In addition to participating in the study, the Texas Center is doing
the following research:
“I’m interested in the link between birth
defects and substances in the environment and in the
workplace.”
~Peter Langlois,
Co-Principal Investigator,
Texas Center
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Studying the interaction of metabolic, genetic, and
environmental risk factors for certain birth defects of the
brain and spinal cord.
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Examining the link between neural tube defects and risk factors
such as maternal diabetes, obesity, and dieting behaviors.
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Studying the link between birth defects and environmental
factors such as hazardous waste sites, air pollution,
pesticides, and water disinfection byproducts.
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Surveying women to examine knowledge, attitudes, and practices
related to the prevention of birth defects, including folic acid
use and alcohol use. [read more]
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Analyzing the patterns of and risk factors for oral clefts and
clubfoot in Texas.
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Studying the interaction of metabolic, genetic, and
environmental risk factors for certain birth defects of the
brain and spinal cord.
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Examining the link between neural tube defects and risk factors
such as maternal diabetes, obesity, and dieting behaviors.
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Studying the link between birth defects and environmental
factors such as hazardous waste sites, air pollution,
pesticides, and water disinfection byproducts.
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Surveying women to examine knowledge, attitudes, and practices
related to the prevention of birth defects, including folic acid
use and alcohol use. [read
more]
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Analyzing the patterns of and risk factors for oral clefts and
clubfoot in Texas.
[Return to state map]
Utah Center
The Utah Center is based within the Utah Birth Defect Network and is a
joint effort of the Utah Department of Health and the University of Utah
Health Sciences Center. The Utah Center brings internationally
recognized expertise in epidemiology, molecular and clinical genetics,
and family studies. With the state’s birth rate being 40% higher than
the U.S. birth rate, the Utah Center has unique opportunities to assess
outcomes and causes of birth defects.
Center-specific research
In addition to its participation in the study, the Utah Center is
involved in the following research:
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Studying the genetic determinants of heart defects in Utah
associated with disturbances of left-right asymmetry.
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Working with Utah State University in a case-control study of
nutrient biomarkers (indicators) and genetics of orofacial
clefts in Utah.
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Using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to measure
awareness, knowledge, and use of folic acid among Utah women.
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“I want to understand heart defects, their
causes, and ways to prevent them from occurring.”
~Lorenzo Botto,
Co-Principal Investigator,
Utah Center
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[Return to state map]
Date:
March 11, 2009
Content source: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental
Disabilities
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