RESEARCH TO REDUCE BIRTH DEFECTS
Sonja Rasmussen, MD, MS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
"I am optimistic that this research will lead to improved lives and healthier Americans. And since it can take up to a generation to see results, support and investment must be multi-pronged and sustained."
Sonja Rasmussen, MD, MS has been working to improve the lives of mothers and children for more than a decade. She knows the importance of investing in public health research in order to identify what can be done to help prevent illness, suffering, and to save money in the long-term. Her research has led to a better understanding of the causes of birth defects due to factors like drinking alcohol, smoking, taking certain medicines, and obesity in the mother. She also studies genetic factors.
As a physician, Dr. Rasmussen first recognized the opportunity to improve the lives of Americans and make a difference on a national scale when she encountered the work of the CDC while she was in medical school. She is inspired by how research saves lives; including the research which eventually led to the understanding of the important role that folic acid plays in reducing birth defects. That knowledge, gained from research, led to changes in treatments and policies which save more than 1,000 babies per year.
Another study on which Rasmussen has worked is "The National Birth Defects Prevention Study," which helps families better understand and uncover links to birth defects. While three of out of every 100 newborns are diagnosed with a birth defect, the cause of two-thirds of these defects remains a mystery. Rasmussen is dedicated to uncovering what does and what does not cause birth defects.
Rasmussen also works to protect the health of pregnant women during public health emergencies. Past and future events, from Hurricane Katrina to a potential influenza pandemic have shown that pregnant mothers are: more vulnerable to a breakdown in the health care system; more dependent upon accurate medical information on site; and at greater risk to exposure to illnesses since their immune systems are undergoing unique changes.
In the next 10 years, Rasmussen's goal is to discover more solutions and implement additional strategies to protect the health of America's families.
"Mothers need to be protected so they can pass the health benefits on to their children," says Rasmussen. "I am optimistic that this research will lead to improved lives and healthier Americans. And since it can take up to a generation to see results, support and investment must be multi-pronged and sustained."