Invitation from the President
I am delighted to invite you to Washington, DC, for the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention's 66th Annual Meeting, to be held from June 14-17, 2026, at the Hilton Washington DC National Mall The Wharf.
This year's streamlined 3.5-day format offers outstanding science, networking, and professional growth around the theme, "Building a Better Tomorrow: Advances in the Fields of Pregnancy, Reproduction, and Development." The Program Committee, chaired by Wafa Harrouk, has organized an excellent program around this theme with scientific symposia on the following topics:
- Reevaluating Fluoride Exposure: Developmental Risks and Emerging Evidence
- What's Next in Birth Defects Research? The Future of Science and Innovation in Understanding Congenital Anomalies
- Including Pregnant and Lactating Women in Clinical Trials: From the Past to the Future
- Exposome Research: Longitudinal Cohorts as a Critical Piece of the Puzzle
- Connecting the Dots: Interpreting Teratogenic Risk Across Study Types and the Path to Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration
- Evaluating Toxicities in Reproductive Tissues
The program also features a continuing education course, research needs and professional development workshops, special lectures honoring the founding fathers of our Society, platform and poster sessions, and a multitude of networking opportunities. In addition, the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society (DNTS) will meet alongside BDRP, with joint sessions and registration opportunities, and ample opportunities for networking between attendees.
Abstracts are due February 15, 2026 (trainees with accepted abstracts may apply for travel awards).
For those who have never had the opportunity to attend a BDRP Annual Meeting, join us in 2026 to see for yourself how we host an outstanding educational and scientific event that provides researchers from academia, industry, regulatory agencies, contract research organizations, consulting companies, and clinical specialties an opportunity to exchange knowledge and ideas that promote and expand the value of birth defects research and prevention.
I look forward to welcoming you to what promises to be an engaging and inspiring meeting in Washington, DC.
