President’s Invitation to the 63rd Annual Meeting

I am pleased to invite you to attend the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention, June 24–28, 2023, at the Charleston Marriot, in Charleston, South Carolina.

The theme for this year’s meeting is “Improving Pregnancy Outcomes through Collaborative Research.” The Program Committee, chaired by Anthony M. DeLise, has put together an outstanding program around this theme. Scientific session topics include:

• The HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study
• A Lifecourse Perspective on the Epidemiology of Congenital Heart Disease: Surveillance, Risk Factors, Outcomes, and Future Directions
• Machine Learning Applications in Understanding Embryogenesis and the Mechanisms of Birth Defects
• Health Disparities within Communities of Color

• Characterizing Developmental and Reproductive Hazards Using Rapid Review Tools
• COVID-19 and Pregnancy: An Update and Planning for the Future
• Applications of New Approach Methods in Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology
• Immune Responses during Development and Multi-System Inflammatory Disease in Children

•  Plus
• BDRP/ETS Exchange Lecture
• Research Needs Workshop
• Grant Development Workshop
• Platform sessions, including the Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Platform and the Innovator Award Finalists Platform
• Poster sessions
• Social and professional networking events

Our Education Committee, which has a track record of organizing top-notch continuing education courses, has developed the following Continuing Education courses, under the leadership of chair Wafa A. Harrouk:

• Special Sensory Systems: The Ear
• Gene Editing and Gene Therapy
• Ethical Issues and Novel Therapies (Mini Course)

For those who have never had the opportunity to attend a BDRP Annual Meeting in person, join us in 2023 and see for yourself how BDRP hosts an outstanding educational and scientific event that provides researchers who span the breadth of academia, industry, regulatory agencies, contract research organizations, consulting companies, and clinical specialties with a forum to exchange knowledge and ideas that promote and expand the value of birth defects research and prevention.

Once again, we are pleased to offer joint sessions and a joint registration fee to maximize interactions with our sister societies: the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society (DNTS) and the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS). Concurrent meetings allow for joint sessions on topics of common interest, and the opportunity for networking between attendees, enriching the exchange of scientific ideas for all participants.

To make our meeting truly excellent, we need you! Abstracts are due Wednesday, February 15, 2023, and trainees whose abstracts are accepted may apply for travel awards.

I hope you will join us for what promises to be an informative and engaging 63rd Annual Meeting.