Joining us this episode is Dr. Sura Alwan, the Co-Director of TERIS, The Teratogen Information System, a clinical resource that assesses teratogenic risks of pregnancy exposures on the fetus.

In addition to serving as the co-director of TERIS, Dr. Alwan holds professional positions at the University of Washington and the University of British Columbia. Her background education is in Human Genetics where she received a BSc Honours degree from the University of Nottingham in the UK and an MSc in Medical Genetics from the University of Glasgow, UK. Dr. Alwan acquired her PhD in the area of birth defects epidemiology and teratology from the University of British Columbia in BC, Canada. Dr. Alwan’s research interests revolve around identifying exposures in pregnancy that may pose a risk to the developing fetus and contribute to causing birth defects and other adverse pregnancy outcomes.

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On This Episode We Discuss:

Causes and prevention of birth defects
Teratogens
Impact of teratogenic exposure on fetal development
Medications and vaccinations during pregnancy
Exposure to THC during pregnancy
The TERIS database

Check out TERIS, a clinical electronic resource that contains information on the teratogenic risks of over 1,700 medications and other environmental exposures and infections, including 200 of the most frequently prescribed drugs. Use code “DNAToday” for your free no obligation 2-week evaluation license.

To learn more, visit the TERIS website, or check them out on Twitter,

Facebook, and LinkedIn, and be sure to navigate to their COVID-19 virus and vaccine summary for more information and Teratology studies.

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Stay tuned for the next new episode of DNA Today on November 5, 2021, where we’ll feature an episode of the Phenotip’s Speaker Series about the adoption of digital tools in genetic counseling! New episodes are released on the first and third Friday of the month. In the meantime, you can binge over 160 other episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, streaming on the website, or any other podcast player by searching, “DNA Today”. Episodes in 2021 are also recorded with video which you can watch on our YouTube channel.

See what else we are up to on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and our website, DNApodcast.com. Questions/inquiries can be sent to info@DNApodcast.com.