Congratulations to Yanning Wang, MS, who was awarded the James C. Bradford Memorial Student Poster Award at the 65th Annual Meeting of the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention.
This award recognizes the best poster presentation by a student or postdoctoral fellow at the annual meetings of the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention (BDRP) and Developmental Neurotoxicology Society (DNTS). The award is jointly sponsored by the Middle Atlantic Reproduction and Teratology Association (MARTA) and Sanofi US.
Wang’s presentation was titled “Mortality Associated with Down Syndrome in the USA from 2000 to 2023: A Population-Based Study.” The study examined over two decades of U.S. death certificate data to assess trends in age and causes of death for individuals with Down syndrome.
The analysis showed that the median age at death increased steadily from 50 years in 2000 to 57 years in 2023, with early childhood survival improving substantially over the same period. Despite this progress, racial disparities persisted: in 2023, the median age at death was 58 years among white individuals compared with just over 52 years among black and other racial groups.
Overall, the findings point to significant improvements in life expectancy for people with Down syndrome in the United States but also highlight the continuing need to address disparities and ensure access to specialized medical care across the lifespan.
