TABLE 1—

Examples of International Collaboration in the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research

Area	Current Examples	Evolution
Surveillance	Rapid and yearly assessment of 40 major birth defects. Monitoring of multiple congenital anomalies, teratogen-associated phenotypes, chromosomal anomalies, and associations with first-trimester exposure to medications	Include other outcomes (e.g., developmental disabilities); actively promote the use of data for public health action
Public health research and information dissemination	Birth defect occurrence in relation to folic acid policies and activities; increasing rates of gastroschisis and associated factors; international impact of birth defects; aspects of human genome epidemiology; database on typical orofacial clefts	Promote etiologic studies, disease registries, research involving non-Clearinghouse members, enrollment of areas of the world for which few data are currently available; develop information and educational tools on Web site
Program development	Increasing collaboration with other networks in Europe and the United States and with international organizations; ongoing advisory and technical support for developing programs	Develop guidelines and tools for birth defect surveillance and research for developed and developing countries, with emphasis on data sharing and regional activities

Source. Information from http://www.icbd.org.