• About Us
• Study Components
• Data Collection
• Study Centers
• Arkansas
• California
• Georgia
• Iowa
• Massachusetts
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Carolina
• Texas
• Utah
• Birth Defects Included
• Study Findings
• Investigators & Staff

Suzan Carmichael, PhD, is Co-Investigator for the California Center and joined the Center in 1998. She is a recognized leader in birth defects research and has produced numerous publications on birth defect causes related to diet, obesity, drugs, alcohol, stress, pollution, occupations, and genes. Dr. Carmichael is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Stanford University.

“We are incredibly appreciative of the generosity of parents who provide us with information about their experiences. That’s what makes this study possible. It provides the key to finding the causes of birth defects – so that eventually we can prevent them. That’s why we’re committed to doing this study!” – Suzan Carmichael

Selected NBDPS Publications:
Ma C, Carmichael SL, Scheuerle AE, Canfield MA, Shaw GM; National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Association of microtia with maternal obesity and periconceptional folic acid use. Am J Med Genet A. 2010 Nov;152A(11):2756-61.

Carmichael SL, Ma C, Werler MM, Olney RS, Shaw GM, and the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Maternal corticosteroid use and hypospadias. J Pediatr. 2009 Jul;155(1):39-44, 44.e1. Epub 2009 Apr 24.

Carmichael SL, Shaw GM, Laurent C, Lammer EJ, Olney RS, and the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Hypospadias and maternal exposures to cigarette smoke. Paediatric and Perinat Epidemiol.2005; 19(5):333-404.

Carmichael SL, Shaw GM, Laurent C, Olney RS, Lammer EJ, and the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Maternal reproductive and demographic characteristics as risk factors for hypospadias. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, 2007;21:210-218.

Carmichael SL, Shaw GM, Laurent C, Olney RS, Lammer EJ, Croughan M. Progestin intake and risk of severe hypospadias. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. 2005; 159:957-962.

Carmichael SL, Shaw GM, Ma C, Werler MM, Rasmussen SA, Lammer EJ. Maternal corticosteroid use and orofacial clefts. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2007; 197:585.e1-585.e7.

Carmichael SL, Shaw GM, Yang W, Laurent C, Herring A, Royle MH, Canfield M. National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Correlates of intake of folic acid-containing supplements among pregnant women. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2006 Jan;194(1):203-10.

Carmichael SL, Yang W, Correa A, Olney RS, Shaw GM, for the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Hypospadias and intake of nutrients related to one-carbon metabolism. Journal of Urology. 2009;181:315-321. Epub 2008 Nov 13.