On Oct. 17, 2001, the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) was established at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as a result of the Children’s Health Act passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Clinton.

From its inception, the NCBDDD included the established programs in birth defects, genetic disorders, developmental disabilities and disabilities and health, with a more than 30-year history in surveillance, research, and public health practice, including the training of public health professionals in these respective fields.

In 2001, guided by earlier NCBDDD scientific findings, the center published the first evaluation showing that folic acid fortification of enriched cereal grain products reduced the prevalence of neural tube defects (NTDs) in the U.S. by 31%. As a result of the implementation of mandatory folic acid fortification in the U.S., the NCBDDD estimates that each year, 1000 more babies are born without an NTD.