Red Shoes Rock honors FASD pioneer
– Dr. Kenneth Lyons Jones – Thank you!
Dr. Kenneth Lyons Jones was one of two doctors at the University of Washington who first identified FAS in the United States in 1973.
He is a pediatrician by training, specializing in the identification and treatment of birth defects. He is actively involved in research, teaching, clinical work, and University and public service. He is considered the leading expert of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).
Institute for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Discovery (IFASDD)
The Center for Better Beginnings is home to an integrative program to provide education, screening, and research on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), and to provide support to families affected by these conditions.Led by Dr. Kenneth Lyons Jones, the physician who co-identified fetal alcohol syndrome in 1973, and Program Coordinator Diana Simmes, our Institute for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Discovery (IFASDD) is the nation’s leading epicenter for work to prevent alcohol-exposed pregnancies and to assist those who are affected. As a multidisciplinary center, IFASSD brings together medical physicians, researchers, parent advocates and educators as a think-tank for this under-recognized disorder.
Learn more about support groups and SoCal NOFAS.
IFASDD works closely with the Southern California affiliate of the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (SoCal NOFAS) to provide support and services to families who have loved ones affected by a FASD. Parent-caregiver support groups can give families an opportunity to form alliances and learn about others’ experiences with the spectrum of an FASD diagnosis.
From those initial children with FAS came a lifetime of commitment to research and knowledge.
Dr. Jones’ research has focused on the evaluation and diagnosis of birth defects, identifying the mechanisms of normal and abnormal fetal development, and the recognition of new environmental agents that cause birth defects. His work on the recognition of new human teratogens is primarily focused through MotherToBaby California, a counseling and research program funded in part by the State of California and monies received from the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) as part of a cooperative agreement with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Over the past 40 years Dr. Jones has continued to make significant contributions to our understanding of the prenatal effects of alcohol, most recently as the head of the Dysmorphology Core of the large NIAAA consortium studying this disorder.
His research has focused on the clinical delineation of birth defects, mechanisms of normal and abnormal morphogenesis and the recognition of new human teratogens.
Dr. Jones has authored over 400 publications in scientific journals as well as several books, and is the author of Smith’s Recognizable Patterns of Human Malformation which is now in its 7th edition. Smith’s Recognizable Patterns of Human Malformation has long been known as the source to consult on multiple malformation syndromes of environmental and genetic etiology as well as recognizable disorders of unknown cause. This esteemed medical reference book provides you with complete and authoritative, yet accessible guidance to help accurately diagnose these human disorders, establish prognoses, and provide appropriate management and genetic counseling.
Currently Dr. Lyons is the Chief of the Division of Dysmorphology & Teratology at the Department of Pediatrics at UCSD, Medical Director of the MotherToBaby California Pregnancy Health Information Line, and co-Director of the Center for Better Beginnings.
The Center for Better Beginnings works to improve the health of moms and babies.
Birth defects affect 1 in 33 babies.
While not all birth defects can be prevented, many can. UC San Diego’s Center for Better Beginnings works to identify, prevent and treat birth defects that are caused by environmental factors. Since these harmful exposures occur outside of our genetics, we strive to reduce the risks of birth defects with the goal of eliminating them from our lives.
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