Study Center
California represents 15% of all births in the United States. This year alone, 17,000 babies with birth defects will be born in California, and as many as 2,000 of these babies will die before their first birthday. Discovering causes is our only hope for preventing these outcomes.
The California Center is a collaborative partnership between Stanford University and the California Birth Defects Monitoring Program in the Department of Public Health. The Center collects data from women residing in eight counties in the Central Valley. It has been funded by CDC since 1997.
Principal Investigators:
 Gary Shaw, DrPH, is the Principal Investigator for the Center. Dr. Shaw has been conducting research on birth defects for over 30 years.
"It is a privilege to work with talented scientists and interested parents to try to understand what causes birth defects. The cooperative research program funded by the CDC is one of our best hopes toward preventing the occurrence of birth defects."
— Dr. Gary Shaw
Dr. Shaw is a recognized leader in birth defects research and has produced hundreds of scientific publications on birth defect causes related to diet, obesity, drugs, alcohol, stress, pollution, occupations, and genes. Dr. Shaw is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Stanford University. Read More
 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 a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Stanford University.…Read More
Local Activities and Research:
Our research answers why certain racial or ethnic groups are at higher risk of birth defects.
- Why are Latinos at increased risk of brain and spinal birth defects?
- Why are African-American babies with birth defects more likely to die?
Our research answers questions from parents in California about how to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.
- Will stress hurt my baby?
- Will eating certain foods help my baby?
Our research answers questions about environmental exposures that are especially important in California.
- Does exposure to pesticides, contaminated water, or air pollution cause birth defects?
Partners:
Stanford University
California Birth Defects Monitoring Program, Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Division/Center for Family Health, California Department of Public Health
Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute
Dell Pediatrics Research Institute, Austin Texas
University of California, San Francisco
March of Dimes Foundation
Texas A&M University Institute of Biosciences and Technology
Selected NBDPS Publications:
Carmichael SL, Ma C, Tinker S, Shaw GM. Maternal stressors and social support and risks for delivering babies with gastroschisis or hypospadias Am J Epidemiol 2017;epub.
Padula AM, Yang W, Carmichael SL, Lurmann F, Balmes J, Hammond K, Shaw GM. Air pollution, neighborhood acculturation factors and neural tube defects among Hispanic women in California. Birth Def Res A 2017;109:403-422.
Weber KA, Yang W, Carmichael SL, Shaw GM. Nutrient intake in women before conception and risks of anophthalmia and microphthalmia in their offspring. Birth Def Res 2018;epub.
Padula AM, Yang W, Schultz K, Lee C, Lurmann F, Hammond SK, Shaw GM. Genetic variation in biotransformation enzymes, air pollution exposures, and risk of spina bifida. Am J Med Genet 2018;176:1055-90.
Weber KA, Yang W, Lupo PJ, Dukhovny S, Yazdy MM, Lin AE, Van Bennekom CM, Mitchell AA, Shaw GM. An application of data mining to identify potential risk factors for anophthalmia and microphthalmia. Ped Perinatol Epidemiol 2018;epub.
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