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Media Advisory
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Surgeon General’s Conference to Develop Research Agenda on Preterm Birth
Nearly half a million babies born in the United States are born preterm, and this number continues to rise. Preterm birth is a major cause of infant death and places infants at risk for serious life-long disability. Congress directed the office of the U.S. Surgeon General to hold a conference that would establish a research agenda to "speed the identification of, and treatments for, the causes of and risk factors for preterm labor and delivery." In 2007, the Surgeon General named the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health as the scientific lead for the conference.
What: Surgeon General’s Conference to Develop Research Agenda on Preterm Birth
When: Tuesday, June 17, 2008 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Where: Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center
5701 Marinelli Road
North Bethesda, Maryland 20852
Who: Featured Speakers include:
Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H
Acting Surgeon General
Duane Alexander, M.D., Director, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of
Child Health and Human Development
Jennifer L. Howse, Ph.D., President, March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
Scientific work groups will present their draft recommendations for a proposed action plan. Members of the public will have the opportunity to comment on the proposed goals and action items before they are incorporated into a report that will be given to the Surgeon General.
The conference can be viewed via Web cast at: http://videocast.nih.gov/ For a detailed conference agenda and other information, please visit: http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=bfc7c1d7-bdfd-41b6-acda-e35a043ea8cb.
The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit the Institute’s Web site at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
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