53rd Annual Meeting of the Teratology Society

The theme for this year’s meeting is “Application of Cutting-Edge Technologies to Improve Assessment, Treatment, Prevention, and Communication regarding Birth Defects.” The Program Committee, chaired by Elaine Francis, has put together an outstanding program around this theme, and the Education Committee, chaired by Ali Faqi, has developed Continuing Education Courses entitled “Principles of Teratology” and “Advanced Technologies in Prenatal and Postnatal Screening and Diagnosis: From Basic Science to Clinical Applications” that fit the theme as well. The program offers an exciting variety of scientific sessions on topics including advances in genomic sciences, application of imaging technologies, predictive developmental toxicology, diabetes and pregnancy, chemotherapeutics, and a tribute to a recently deceased Society member, Dr. Patricia Rodier. Once again, we are pleased to offer joint sessions and a joint registration fee to maximize interactions with our sister societies, Neurobehavioral Teratology Society (NBTS) and Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS). Reduced registration rates have been established to assist Emeritus members to attend both the meeting and the Education Courses; your continued participation in the Annual Meeting is very important to us.

Birth defects and developmentally-mediated disorders constitute a major public health concern in the world today. Human development can be affected not only by drugs and chemicals, but also by diet, genetics, maternal health, and socioeconomic factors. Understanding and protecting against potential hazards to developing embryos, fetuses, and children requires advanced scientific knowledge from diverse and novel fields such as cell and molecular biology, developmental biology and toxicology, computational modeling, genetics, and epidemiology. The science is put into practice in the areas of prenatal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, neonatology, medical genetics, counseling, product safety, risk assessment, and governmental regulations.