Jane Dean

Jane is the Statewide Coordinator for South Carolina’s Birth Defects Prevention Program. She works closely with partner organizations including the SC Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, SC Department of Health and Environmental Control and Shriners Hospital for Children to promote the importance of folic acid in preventing neural tube defects. Jane coordinates the Neural Tube Defect (NTD) Prevention Program providing educational materials and presentations about folic acid to school and community groups. She is also responsible for monitoring neural tube defects in SC. She visits families affected by these birth defects providing support and information and offers to enroll them in the NTD study. The NTD Prevention Program has reduced the incidence of these severe birth defects of the brain and spine by nearly 60% since it began in 1992.