Department of Pediatrics
Department of Pediatrics
The Department of Pediatrics

Complex Birth Defects

The Department of Pediatrics at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston strives to improve the welfare of children by advancing basic and clinical science related to the development and health of infants and children.


Congenital birth defects, such as neural tube defects, cleft lip and palate, cleft palate, clubfoot, and heart defects, are common and occur in approximately 1/7000-1,000 live births and affect more than 4,000 newborns each year in the U.S. These birth defects have a significant impact on health care resources because they require long-term medical and surgical interventions as well as community resources. The etiology of each birth defect is complex and involves the interaction of genes and environmental exposures. Progress toward understandng the genetic contributions of all of these birth defects has been significant in the last decade. Gene discovery studies are being performed for three of these birth defects by two pediatric genetic investigators. Dr. Jacqueline T. Hecht studies the genetics of nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate and nonsyndromic clubfoot (idiopathic talipes equinovarus). Dr. Northrup focuses on identifying the genetic causes of spina bifida.

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