The National Birth Defects Center, established in 1984, provides diagnosis and treatment to children born with birth defects, genetic diseases and mental retardation. The Center consists of physicians and consultants in pediatrics, genetics, orthopedics, cardiology, neurology, ophthalmology, endocrinology, cranialfacial surgery, plastic surgery, and other specialties.

Since many of the children followed at the Center require the care of numerous specialists, appointments are coordinated as much as possible to decrease the necessity for frequent trips to the Center.

Genetic counseling is offered to prospective parents who are concerned about the possibility of genetic diseases occurring in their children. Patients who may benefit from genetic counseling include those wishing to discuss a condition for which they have a family history, those who belong to a specific ethnic group (such as the Ashkenazi Jewish population) in which there is a higher incidence of certain genetic disorders, or those who have positive results on a routinely-offered screening or diagnostic test (such as maternal serum screening, cystic fibrosis carrier screening, or amniocentesis). Genetic counseling is also available for women who will be 35 years of age or older at the time of delivery or who have concerns about exposures to medications, drugs, chemicals, or other potentially teratogenic agents during pregnancy.

The main physicians who see patients at The National Birth Defects Center and its clinics are:

Dr. Murray Feingold
Dr. Feingold is the Physician-in-Chief of The National Birth Defects Center. A graduate of Jefferson Medical School in Philadelphia, Dr. Feingold is board certified in both Pediatrics and Genetics and has been treating children with birth defects and genetics for over 30 years. Dr. Feingold is Professor of Pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine. He is the author of two books and has published over 170 articles.

Dr. Catherine Bearce Nowak, MD
Dr. Nowak is the Associate Physician-in-Chief and Clinical Director of The National Birth Defects Center. Dr. Nowak is a graduate of Dartmouth College with a degree in Biology and Psychology. She received her medical degree from McGill University. Following her pediatric internship and residency at University of Massachusetts Medical Center, she completed a fellowship in Clinical Genetics and birth defects at the National Birth Defects Center with Dr. Feingold. She served in the position of clinical geneticist at the National Birth Defects Center and went on to become the Chief of the Genetics Division at UMass Memorial Medical Center. Dr. Nowak is board certified both in Pediatrics and in Clinical Genetics. She is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UMass Medical School and lectures extensively in community hospitals about topics in genetics.

Satellite Genetic Services:

Anna Jaques Hospital - Newburyport, MA
Cape Cod Hospital - Hyannis, MA
Caritas Norwood Hospital, Norwood, MA
Foundation for Blood Research - Portland, ME
l.H. Schwartz Children's Rehabilitation Center,
New Bedford, MA
MetroWest Medical Center, Framingham, MA
Nantucket Cottage Hospital, Nantucket, MA
Newton/Wellesley Hospital, Newton, MA
North Shore Children's Hospital, Salem, MA
Saints Memorial Hospital - Lowell, MA
UMASS Memorial Medical Center - Worcester, MA
Shriners Hospital - Sprinfield, MA