50th Anniversary of Newborn Screening

Celebrating 50 years of making a difference in the lives of Minnesota newborns and their families!

50th Anniversary Celebration

To help celebrate 50 years of newborn screening, the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) is making available to states, a traveling display depicting the history and important life-saving role of newborn screening. Its first stop on a 13-state tour, Minnesota will host the display from March 4-14, with several special exhibits and events planned.

  • March 4-6 at the Minnesota Department of Health Orville Freeman Building in St. Paul.


  • March 7th at the 2013 Early Hearing Screening Detection and Intervention / Birth Defects Conference for Local Public Health Professionals.


  • March 8th from 11 am – 12:30 pm at the State Capitol.
  • March 9-14 at the lobby of the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul.

For more details about the traveling exhibit see the MDH Press Release or contact Patti Constant at patti.constant@state.mn.us or 651-201-4517

MDH News Release

Stories of Newborn Screening
  • The Minnesota Department of Health Newborn Screening Program’s ‘Screening Spotlight’ page highlights the stories of Minnesota families who have benefitted from newborn screening.

    Newborn Screening Spotlight


  • “Babies benefitted greatly from one doctor’s research” is an article published by Access Press detailing the history of how Newborn Screening began with the help of Dr. Robert Guthrie, a Minnesota physician and newborn screening advocate.

    Babies benefitted greatly from one doctor’s research


  • Save Babies Through Screening (SBTS) Foundation’s mission is to improve the lives of children and their families through newborn screening. SBTS Foundation has at least 20 personal stories from families with diagnoses. These stories describe the positive outcomes of having been screened and the negative impact for those who did not.

    Save Babies Through Screening Foundation

Four Facts About Newborn Screening

The APHL has created a booklet entitled ‘Newborn Screening - Four Facts Policymakers Need to Know’. The booklet contains facts about newborn screening intertwined with family stories.

Newborn Screening - Four Facts Policymakers Need to Know (PDF: 549KB/16 pages)

The National Campaign’s Media Toolkit

To mark the 50th anniversary of newborn screening, the APHL and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have launched a national campaign to raise awareness and increase understanding of the scope and effectiveness of newborn screening.

Media Toolkit/50th Anniversary Information (PDF: 1.01 MB/6 pages)

Updated Monday, 04-Mar-2013 15:24:33 CST