Surveillance and Epidemiology Section.
Birth defects surveillance and epidemiology in China.
Birth defects are the major cause of infant mortality in the United States and in the People's Republic of China. The EIS officer assigned to the position will be responsible primarily for conducting epidemiologic studies into the causes of birth defects and studies of the effects of maternal folic acid use in early pregnancy on both the mother and child, using a large database already collected by the China-US Cooperative Project in Neural Tube Prevention in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Recently prospective follow-up of children born during the folic acid campaign has been expanded to examine growth and development in the children. This follow-up allows studies of infant and child mortality in China. The officer will also respond to requests from state and government agencies in investigating adverse reproductive outcomes and will evaluate the teratogenic potential of environmental exposures.