The Mission of this Society is:
to promote research and the exchange of ideas and research results that reveal the causes, improve the diagnosis and treatment, and prevent the occurrence of abnormal development and birth defects;
to communicate that information to physicians, public health officials, concerned health advocacy and lay groups and other interested parties that promote the elimination of birth defects when possible and amelioration of them when they occur;
and to provide education and training on the causes, mechanisms, treatment and prevention of birth defects.
Career Services are provided to members via a Job Bank, a year-round on-line service linking job candidates with employers and positions in developmental and reproductive toxicology as well as related biological sciences. Links are also provided to FASEB and SOT Job Banks.
You can have the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded professionals and to engage in leadership activities - at annual meetings, through committee service, and other special groups and activities.
Members receive reduced registration costs for the Annual Teratology Meeting and reduced fees for the journal, Birth Defects Research.
We don’t all look at birth defects the same way – some of us are involved in diagnosing them, caring for the children affected with them and educating the families in dealing with them; some of us are more interested in trying to find out what caused the defect and how these defects could be prevented in the future. By exchanging ideas and information from our different perspectives on abnormal development at the fundamental or clinical level, we hope to make progress in understanding and preventing birth defects. Discussion of research and techniques that reveal the causes, improve the diagnosis and treatment, and prevent the occurrence of birth defects is essential to ensure propagation of new ideas. The Teratology Society acts as a conduit of this information to physicians, public health officials, concerned health advocacy and lay groups, and other interested parties.
Preventing birth defects is an extremely important goal – to the families as well as to society overall. By working together in a multidisciplinary way, our members are dedicated to advancing the science of developmental and reproductive toxicology in order to eliminate or ameliorate birth defects and to provide education and training on the causes, mechanisms, treatment and prevention of birth defects.
To learn more about Teratology Society’s membership requirements and how to apply, please use these links (http://www.teratology.org/gov_const.asp#c2) and (http://www.teratology.org/join.asp) and
Membership Committee
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Welcome to the Teratology Society website! I hope that you had the opportunity to attend our 49th Annual Meeting, June 27-July 1, 2009 in Puerto Rico, and enjoy the great science, beautiful setting, and wonderful opportunity to network with colleagues. The scientific program, “Gene-Environment Interactions: Impact on Maternal and Child Health”, encompassed the latest findings in basic research on the developmental basis of adult disease to the epidemiology, underlying mechanisms and management of common problems, such as prematurity and maternal obesity, that impact on birth defects. Just in case circumstances prevented you from attending the meeting, we are pleased that slides from the Warkany lecture and the 2009 Teratogen Update lecture are now available online for members.
Over the past year considerable progress was made in implementing the Society’s 5-year Strategic Plan; this occurred thanks to the many months of hard work by our colleagues. Tangible results include the redesign and re-launch of our website by the Website Committee, under the leadership of Tony DeLise, and its use as a primary means of communication to Society members and to the public, the establishment of an ad hoc Science Committee, co-chaired by Elaine Faustman and Tom Knudsen, to promote our shared scientific identify and increase the visibility of science for birth defects research and the new initiatives undertaken by the Membership and Public Affairs Committees, chaired by Bob Parker and Patte Bittner, respectively. We are looking forward to more progress in addressing the key issues recommended by our strategic planning working groups during the upcoming year.
Our attention turns now to our 50th Annual Meeting, June 26-30, 2010 in Louisville, KY. The theme of the meeting will be “Healthy Lifestyles for Parents and Children”. The Program Committee, chaired by John Rogers, is planning a number of special events to highlight this historical occasion. You will definitely want to be part of this ‘golden’ celebration!
Before I close, I want to thank the Teratology Society Councilors whose terms have ended for their exemplary service; these include Thomas B. Knudsen, Deborah K Hansen, Karen Augustine, and Elaine Francis. It has been such a pleasure to get to know all of you. Welcome to the new members of Council: John M. Graham, Mary Alice Smith, Sonja Rasmussen, and Michael A. Schellpfeffer; I am sure that we will enjoy working together. And finally, last but never least, many thanks to our Executive Director, Tonia Masson, and to Becca Isakower, for everything they do!
Barbara F. Hales, Ph.D.
Teratology Society President
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