The National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN) is a group of individuals involved in birth defects surveillance, research, and prevention.  It was created to establish and maintain a national network of state and population-based programs for birth defects surveillance and research.  The Network assesses the impact of birth defects upon children, families, and health care; identifies factors that can be used to develop primary prevention strategies; and assists families and their providers in secondary disabilities prevention. 

To fulfill its mission, the Network pursues the following goals:

• Improve access and application of information about the prevalence and trends of birth defects
• Increase collaboration between members within the birth defects community
• Advance science through birth defects surveillance and its application to public health efforts and resource allocation

The objectives of the NBDPN are to:

• Improve the quality of birth defect surveillance data.
• Promote scientific collaboration for the prevention of birth defects.
• Provide technical assistance for the development of uniform methods of data collection.
• Facilitate the communication and dissemination of information related to birth defects.
• Collect, analyze and disseminate state and population-based birth defect surveillance data.
• Encourage the use of birth defect data for decisions regarding health services planning (secondary disabilities prevention and services).