title: The International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Monitoring Systems: Past, present and future.
abstract: The International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Monitoring Systems (ICBDMS), founded in 1974, is an organization devoted to the prevention of birth defects. A major activity of member programs is the monitoring of rates of birth defects, searching for changes that might herald the introduction of a new teratogen into the environment. The primary purpose of the ICBDMS is to provide a forum for member programs to share information. This sharing is done through regular quarterly and annual reports of data, at annual meetings, and through informal contacts of the staff of member programs. In 1988, the ICBDMS established an International Centre for Birth Defects (ICBD) at the University of Bergen, generous financial support is being provided by the Norwegian government. The Centre is to function as a "headquarters" for the Clearinghouse, promoting and facilitating its activities. It will establish a focus for collaborative epidemiologic research on birth defects, promote improvements in birth defects monitoring, and provide a setting for training.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Erickson