Newborn Screening Leaders Honored on Capitol Hill

SILVER SPRING, MD--(Marketwired - Sep 16, 2013) -

WHO:
Hosted by the Association of Public Health Laboratories with the support of our partners

WHAT:
Following a reception celebrating the many accomplishments of newborn screening over the past 50 years, guests will gather for the following program:

• Remarks by Patricia Guthrie, daughter of Robert Guthrie, inventor of the first newborn screening test
• Newborn screening panel discussion moderated by Dr. Richard Besser, ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor. Panelists include:
  • Jim Kelly - NFL Hall of Famer, Co-founder of Hunter's Hope Foundation
  • Coleen Boyle - Director, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, CDC
  • Dr. Michael Lu - Associate Administrator, Maternal and Child Health, HRSA, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  • Andrea Williams - executive director, Children's Sickle Cell Foundation, Inc.
  • Kevin Alexander - Newborn screening advocate, videographer, adult living with PKU
  • Jana Monaco - Newborn screening advocate, parent of two children living with isovaleric acidemia
• Remarks by Assistant Secretary of Health, Dr. Howard Koh
• Remarks by March of Dimes Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Edward McCabe
• Recognition ceremony - Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard will be recognized for her ongoing contributions to newborn screening policy development. Others to note include Senator Chris Dodd, Senator Orrin Hatch, Representative Mike Simpson, and Senator Kay Hagan.

WHEN:
September 18, 2013 from 4:00-6:30pm

WHERE:
U.S. Capitol Visitor Center
East Capitol Street, NE & First Street, Washington, DC

WHY:
Named one of the ten greatest public health achievements of the 20^th century by CDC, newborn screening has been saving or improving babies' lives since 1963. The Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Newborn Screening is the culmination of a yearlong campaign to raise awareness and provide recognition to the many leaders who have shaped this critical program. APHL will also be releasing their book, The Newborn Screening Story: How One Simple Test Changed Lives, Science, and Health in America.

The Association of Public Health Laboratories is a national nonprofit located in Silver Spring, MD, that is dedicated to working with members to strengthen governmental laboratories with a public health mandate. By promoting effective programs and public policy, APHL strives to provide public health laboratories with the resources and infrastructure needed to protect the health of US residents and to prevent and control disease globally.