Study Center
The North Carolina Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention is a collaborative effort between the Department of Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health and the North Carolina Birth Defects Monitoring Program in the North Carolina Division of Public Health. The Center's mission is to conduct epidemiologic research into the causes of birth defects, and to promote the use of research findings to enhance public health education and prevention efforts in order to improve the health of North Carolina children.
The UNC Department of Epidemiology is an internationally recognized leader in epidemiologic research and training with strong ties to state and local public health agencies in North Carolina. The North Carolina Birth Defects Monitoring Program maintains a statewide, population-based birth defects surveillance system, which provides the basis for birth defects research, education, and public health promotion efforts in the state. This partnership brings to the center considerable expertise to sustain a strong research program and affords a unique opportunity for training the next generation of public health researchers and practitioners for North Carolina.
Principal Investigators:
 Andrew Olshan, PhD, as overall Principal Investigator for the North Carolina Center, directs the research agenda and is responsible for overseeing all Center activities. Dr. Olshan also served in key center-wide roles as Chair of the NBDPS Coordinating Council, Chair of Data Sharing Committee, and Chair of the Genetic Analysis Working Group. He is a Professor at the University of North Carolina and is Chair of the Department of Epidemiology...Read More
 Robert Meyer, PhD, as Co-Principal Investigator, directs the North Carolina Birth Defects Monitoring Program (NCBDMP). His primary role in the North Carolina Center is to oversee the clinical data collection activities of the Center and to participate in the design and conduct of local and pooled studies using NBDPS data. Dr. Meyer also served in key center-wide roles as Chair of the Data Sharing Committee and Data Sharing Editor...Read More
Local Activities and Research:
Funding for the North Carolina Center has enabled the state to pursue a number of important avenues of research and prevention, including:
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Examining geographic patterns and risk factors for birth defects.
- Investigating parental occupational and environmental exposures that may cause birth defects.
- Studying the way in which a person’s genetic makeup and environmental exposures may interact to increase the risk for certain birth defects.
- Evaluating the effect of folic acid education programs on the occurrence of neural tube defects.
- Improving access to services for children with birth defects and their families.
Partners:
The North Carolina Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention takes pride in strong, long-standing partnerships with our local partner organizations, including:
- Duke University Medical Center
- University of North Carolina Center for Maternal and Infant Health
- North Carolina Chapter of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
- North Carolina Folic Acid Council
These partnerships bring together experts in the areas of epidemiology, surveillance, embryology, teratology, and medical genetics, and health promotion.
Recent Publications
Siega-Riz AM, Herring AH, Olshan AF, Smith J, Moore CA and the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. The joint effects of maternal pregravid body mass index and age on the risk of gastroschisis. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol.2009 Jan;23(1):51-7.
MacLehose RF, Olshan AF, Herring AH, Honein MA, Shaw GM, Romitti PA, and the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Bayesian methods for correcting misclassification: An example from birth defects epidemiology. Epidemiology 2009 20(1):27-35. |
