Join the PRB Discuss Online on Thursday: "Birth Defects: A Hidden Toll for Developing Countries"

When: Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009, 1–2 p.m. (EST)

Who: Arnold Christianson, director of the Division of Human Genetics at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Each year, an estimated 9 million infants are born with a serious birth defect that may kill them or result in a lifelong disability. Such birth defects have an especially severe effect on children in middle- and low-income countries. What are the causes of birth defects? Which defects can be treated or prevented? How can we fight the common misconceptions about them?

Join a discussion on this vital topic with Arnold Christianson, director of the Division of Human Genetics at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Dr. Christianson is a pediatrician and medical geneticist working to improve health conditions in low- and middle-income countries. He co-authored the March of Dimes Global Report on Birth Defects and serves as an expert adviser to the World Health Organization's Human Genetics Programme and Genomic Resource Centre.