aaus-list @ ukrainianstudies.org -- [aaus-list] Birth Defects, Chornobyl,Eastern European Summit - from W. Wertelecki, M.D.

["Wladimir Wertelecki" <wwertele@usouthal.edu> (by way of Robert DeLossa)]

July 18, 2008


Dear Colleague:

As someone interested in future generations of Ukrainians, and
therefore in birth defects (BD) and their prevention, we would like to
inform you that OMNI-Net teams have documented trends in Ukraine that
need further attention from investigators, public health experts and
particularly from community organizations and leaders like you.
OMNI-Net is registered in Ukraine as a not-for-profit international
organization, currently sustaining international partnerships with
several US Universities and jointly implementing BD prevention programs
funded by the National Institutes of Health.  Our network reports BD
data collected applying international standards to the EU sponsored
network of monitoring systems.

We seek and welcome new advocates and partners needed to sustain and
expand our programs.  Recently, we received a US federal grant to
partially sponsor the "1st Central and Eastern European Summit on
Preconception Health" to be held in Budapest, August 27-30th and to be
attended by several Ministers of Health and leading International
Experts.  This event will allow our teams to make 15 presentations and
will also provide for a special session focused on our programs in
Ukraine as a source of lessons learned for discussion with international
counterparts.  Information about the above is given in:
http://ibis-birthdefects.org/start/2008_summit.htm (between the 8 and s
there is and underscore).

We are seeking your advice and assistance as well as request that you
share this petition with other leaders and organizations. We are also
requesting tax-deductible donations to complete our studies of birth
defects in Polissia (mainly in the Rivne region).  Four years ago we
published a scientific report stressing that rates of anencephaly (brain
agenesis) were elevated.  Subsequent data confirms this fact and also
indicates an excess of conjoined twins and related malformations.
Whenever the issue of birth defects in Ukraine is raised, inevitably the
issue of Chornobyl also arises.  We now seek to expand data collection
about environmental factors including chronic low dose radiation.
Private donors can be assured that since our teams are in place, this
task will be completed promptly and render our scientific reports more
compelling. It may surprise you to know that we are unaware of
population studies applying international standards of Chornobyl impacts
on child development funded by international agencies.

Please, forward tax deductible donations marked "Ukraine Programs"
and issued to "Health Sciences Foundation of the University of South
Alabama" (address is shown below).

With my very best regards,


Wolodymyr Wertelecki, M.D.
Professor and Chairman of Medical Genetics
International Coordinator of OMNI-Net
University of South Alabama
Department of Medical Genetics
307 University Blvd. N.,
Research Park III, Suite 1400
Mobile, AL 36688


P.S.

Budapest,080718.doc