The National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN) was founded in 1997. It is a 501(c)3

not-for-profit A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...

volunteer organization whose members are involved in

birth defect A birth defect is an abnormal condition that is present at birth, regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities can range from mild to severe. Birth de ...

s surveillance, prevention and research. It was created with help from the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the National public health institutes, national public health agency of the United States. It is a Federal agencies of the United States, United States federal agency under the United S ...

to establish and maintain a national network of state and population-based programs for birth defects surveillance and research. The NBDPN is committed to the primary prevention of birth defects and improvement of outcomes for children and families living with birth defects through the use of birth defects surveillance data for research, program planning, and program evaluation. NBDPN members include

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

officials,

epidemiologist Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent diseases. It is a cornerstone ...

s, academics and parents.

Annual meeting

In early spring (late February or early March) of each year, NBDPN's members, partners and international colleagues gather together at NBDPN's annual meeting. Featured presentations and a variety of breakout sessions are scheduled to appeal to a diverse audience and cover birth defects

surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing, or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as ...

research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

, and prevention issues. Also on the annual meeting agenda are sessions designed to encourage information sharing and

networking Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

, such as poster presentations and exhibits.

Annual Report

The NBDPN publishes its annual report in December Issue of the Journal of Birth Defects Research Part A (BDRA). The annual report has two parts: 1) a series of articles relating to various issues in surveillance, epidemiology, and the application of surveillance data to birth defects prevention and public health programs, and 2) statistical data from population-based surveillance programs across the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Previous reports were published as

Teratology Teratology is the study of abnormalities of physiological development in organisms during their life span. It is a sub-discipline in medical genetics which focuses on the classification of congenital abnormalities in dysmorphology caused by ...

in 1997 and 2000–2002 and in BDRA since 2003. Additionally, the Spring issue of the Journal of Registry Management publishes articles on birth defects surveillance from NBDPN members and others on an annual basis.

Collaborative Projects

The NBDPN helps facilitate collaborative projects that utilize data from state birth defects registries
Publications
from some of these projects have been cited many times in the literature and during presentations. The list of publications resulting from the collaborative projects conducted by the NBDPN members can be found at NBDPN's website.

External links

NBDPN website

Surveillance Guidelines
*
Birth defects included in NBDPN list
*
Data elements included in NBDPN core list
*
Data elements included in NBDPN recommended list

National Birth Defects Prevention Month

National Birth Defect Registry
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