NBDPN Vision
Birth defects surveillance advances science and its application to birth defects prevention.
Spotlight on a New Advantage of NBDPN Membership
The Surveillance and Guidelines and Standards Committee (SGSC) has been very busy producing webinars on topics of interest to the NBDPN membership. The highly acclaimed productions are available on demand in the Members Only Section of the NBDPN website. Thanks to the SGSC members and the topic area experts who have made this new source of valuable information a reality to the NBDPN membership.
The next webinar on "genetic testing and screening: implications for birth defects programs" is scheduled for Thursday, June 25th. Click here for additional details.
NBDPN Annual Report 2009
Be on the lookout for modifications in the call for data for the 2009 NBDPN annual report.
Several changes have been made in the information that is being requested from states in the year's data call. We are adjusting the deadline to account for this additional work, but please be aware that some extra processing time will be required.
Coding Workgroup
Reminder: The Coding Working Group of the Surveillance Guidelines and Standards Committee (SGSC) helps to demystify defect coding and provide some guidance toward standardized coding among programs. Questions are addressed in a standardized fashion that includes suggested coding, options for case classification and coding, some discussion of the particular issue and, when appropriate, examples.The Coding Working Group has handled a variety of queries with the questions and answers are posted at the NBPDN website Members Only page.
To submit a question to the Working Group, please email it to ascheuerle@swbell.net.
Please submit comments and questions concerning the NBDPN e -Newsletter to Russel Rickard.
In this issue...
- NBDPN 12th Annual Meeting Chronicle
- Save the Date for the 2010 NBDPN Annual Meeting
- State Profiles on Birth Defects Available
- Birth Defects Illustrations
- NBDPN State Collaborative Project Publishes Results
NBDPN 12th Annual Meeting Chronicle 
Save the Date: 2010 NBDPN Annual Meeting
March 8-10, 2010
Gaylord National Convention Center on the Potomac
National Harbor, MD
The 2010 NBDPN annual meeting is scheduled for March 8-10, 2010 at the Gaylord National Convention Center. Suggestions and topic ideas for the meeting can be sent to Russ Kirby or David Law.
State Profiles on Birth Defects Available
The NBDPN created a state profile template that includes state and national data on the number of cases and prevalence rates for 12 conditions. The national estimates are based on pooled data from states with active surveillance systems. States have tailored their profiles to include state-specific information on their surveillance systems and how birth defects data are used in their states. Details at http://www.nbdpn.org/current/resources/profiles.html.
Information about Specific Birth Defects including a description, what is known about the prevalence, resources for families and other valuable information is available at on the Center for Disease Control web site (see link below). The medical illustrations on these informational sheets are in the public domain and thus free of any copyright restrictions. It is requested that the content provider (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities) be credited and notified in any public or private usage of the images. Details at http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/default.htm.
NBDPN Collaborative Project on Preterm Birth and Birth Defects
A manuscript entitled "The Association Between Major Birth Defects and Preterm Birth" was published in the Maternal Child Health Journal in February 2009 [ Matern Child Health J (2009) 13:164–175]. The research was the result of an NBDPN collaborative data project between several states. Participating states include: Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri,New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island,Texas, and West Virginia. The manuscript was authored by Margaret A. Honein, Russell S. Kirby, Robert E. Meyer, Jian Xing, Nyasha I. Skerrette, Nataliya Yuskiv, Lisa Marengo, Joann R. Petrini, Michael J. Davidoff, Cara T. Mai, Charlotte M. Druschel, Samara Viner-Brown, and Lowell E. Sever for the National Birth Defects Prevention Network. Thanks to all those who provided data and worked on the team to make this a reality. Nice work!