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Thomas Knudsen
As Teratology Society members, we need to keep asking ourselves how we can move the Society forward toward our purpose, which is to foster exchange of information relating to congenital (birth) defects including their nature, cause, mechanism and prevention. As many of you are already aware, the Teratology Society recently published a book titled: Teratology Primer, in order to raise awareness about the field. This concise resource provides information and references with a collection of current topics in birth defects written by experts in their areas of specialty. Although intended for students to understand the career choices available in the field of teratology, the Teratology Society has made this book free of charge for college students, medical and graduate students, and residents. Supplies are limited so please request copies of the Teratology Primer for your students/residents. It may be ordered online at http://teratology.org/pubs/order_primer.asp.
The Teratology Society can be an educational force now and in the future. Goals in our recent strategic plan address the engagement of membership, strengthening
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Working Group Chairpersons
The Chairpersons of the Strategic Planning Working Groups met by conference call to discuss what their groups had been doing in response to the charges of the Oversight Committee. These charges were: 1- to identify their 3 top priorities, 2- to identify timelines, deliverables and feedback mechanisms to determine if the priorities have been met, 3- to update the Work Diagram developed during the Strategic Planning Meeting, and 4- to evaluate if any changes are needed in Committees that will be working on these priorities. Below is a summary of what the groups have been working on. This will be the focus of a session to be held on Monday, June 30 at 4:30 PM; be sure to attend to find out the latest information and how you can be a part of it!
Visibility WG: Janine Polifka and Melissa Tassinari
The Visibility Working Group agreed that there were two groups that the Society wanted to reach: 1) the general public and 2) students and professionals. To achieve more visibility with these two groups, the Visibility Working Group has identified three top outputs:
1. Revamp the website - revise the content of the website so that it is more explicit as to what teratologists do and who the Teratology Society is. Increase the number of links to other pages on the web. Since OTIS interfaces with the general public, the link to OTIS should be made more visible on the website. Result: The website has undergone considerable revision and is now ready for the Visibility WG to focus on the content on the website to meet their objectives.
2. Partner with National Birth Defects Prevention
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Publications