It was during my term as Society President that The Teratology Society became the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention . I wanted to share some reflections having gone through the process, as it gives me great hope for the future of the Society.

The question of changing the Society name was certainly not a new one. It has been discussed repeatedly over many years, often most actively following a strategic planning meeting where it was a recurring topic. The first debate I recall was early in my career, more years ago than I choose to admit. It was at the annual business meeting, and the line for comment was to the back of the room, with equally compelling, robust, and heartfelt arguments on both sides. The desire to both honor and preserve the Society's rich history as well as to broaden its recognition and reach in the future was clear. As a new member, I was most impressed by the energy and passion demonstrated by the members during that exchange, which reinforced my desire to be an active part of this organization.

Fast forward to the most recent strategic planning session in April 2017, where the debate of the Society name continued. Following the discussion, the Council decided to take action to finally resolve the question. A significant rebranding initiative was planned so the timing was right to incorporate a new name if membership supported a change. An initial survey of members regarding a possible name change in September/October 2017 brought an impressive 185 responses, underscoring the level of concern of members on both sides of the issue and their support of the Society. Results showed a majority favored consideration of a name change, pending proposed names.

But now came the real challenge—defining a new name. In response to the initial survey, 59 members readily volunteered to serve on focus groups to explore possible names. Each focus group was specifically assigned to include a diversity of members with regard to discipline and organization, with the exception of one focus group made up exclusively of trainees, as their perspective was of particular interest to Council. Speaking for my own group, as well as hearing the experiences of others, the level of enthusiasm and engagement of participants was exciting to be a part of.

The task proved extremely challenging. How do we represent who we are as a Society and all that we do in a few short words, ideally with a catchy acronym? The diversity of the Society membership and scientific disciplines represented has always been recognized as what makes us unique and what members value most. No other organizations bring such a breadth of perspectives together, including basic and mechanistic research, developmental, and reproductive toxicology, genetics, epidemiology, maternal/fetal medicine, neonatology and pediatrics, public health, and policy makers. A long and varied list of names was proposed, many that tried to capture the full diversity and scope of these activities. If you think sBDRP is a mouthful…! Ultimately, names were selected to present to membership that the Council and focus group participants felt best represented what unites us as an organization and defines our mission, to understand the causes of birth defects through research and education in order to ultimately prevent them.

Beyond the name, and regardless of which side of the debate, the dedication and passion of our members to the study and prevention of birth defects and to the Society, the desire to remain connected to our history as well as to advance the field and ensure our future was clear. I have been a part of no other organization where that commitment is so tangible, and evident in our annual meeting, where named awards, sessions, and events that honor our founders are highlights, as are awards and sessions that showcase new technologies and innovations in birth defects research. The high level of energy and engagement from our trainees to our emeritus members is infectious. As we look back on our first 60 years, and forward to the next 60, it is truly an exciting time to be member.

在我担任社长期间，术语学会成为了出生缺陷研究与预防协会。我想分享整个过程中的一些反思，因为这给我对协会的未来充满了希望。

更改协会名称的问题当然不是一个新问题。经过多年的反复讨论，通常是在经常性的战略规划会议之后进行的。我记得第一次辩论是在我职业生涯的早期，比我选择的要早得多。那是在年度商务会议上，评论的内容是在会议室的后面，双方都有同样引人注目的，有力的和衷心的论点。既要尊重和维护协会的悠久历史，又要扩大其在未来的知名度和影响力，这一愿望是显而易见的。作为新成员，成员在这次交流中表现出的活力和热情给我留下了最深刻的印象，这增强了我成为该组织积极成员的愿望。

快进到2017年4月的最新战略规划会议，有关协会名称的辩论仍在继续。讨论之后，安理会决定采取行动，最终解决该问题。已计划进行重大的品牌重塑计划，因此，如果成员支持更改，则是合并新名称的正确时机。在2017年9月/ 10月对会员进行可能的更名的初步调查获得了185份令人印象深刻的回复，突显了会员双方对该问题的关注程度以及对协会的支持。结果表明，大多数人赞成在未提议名称的情况下考虑更改名称。

但是现在出现了真正的挑战-定义一个新名称。为了响应最初的调查，有59名成员随时自愿参加焦点小组的工作，以探索可能的名字。每个焦点小组都经过专门分配，包括纪律和组织方面的各种成员，但一个专门由受训者组成的焦点小组除外，因为理事会的特别关注他们的观点。代表我自己的小组发言，并听取其他人的经历，参加者的热情和参与水平令人兴奋。

事实证明，这项任务极具挑战性。我们如何用几个简短的词来代表我们作为一个社会的身份以及我们所做的一切，理想情况下是一个容易上手的缩写？学会会员资格和代表科学学科的多样性一直被认为是使我们与众不同和会员最看重的东西。没有其他组织将如此广泛的观点集中在一起，包括基础和机理研究，发育和生殖毒理学，遗传学，流行病学，母婴医学，新生儿学和儿科，公共卫生和政策制定者。提出了各种各样的名字，其中许多试图抓住这些活动的全部多样性和范围。如果您认为sBDRP令人…舌……！最终，

除了名字之外，无论辩论的是哪一边，我们的成员对研究和预防先天缺陷以及学会的奉献和热情，以及与我们的历史保持联系以及促进这一领域并确保我们的未来很明确。我从未参加过其他组织，在这一年会中，这种承诺如此明显并显而易见，在该组织中，以荣誉，创始人身份命名的奖项，会议和活动是亮点，而展示其新技术和创新的奖项和会议也很重要。先天缺陷研究。从我们的受训者到名誉会员的高水平精力和投入具有感染力。回顾过去的60年，再展望下一个60年，成为会员确实是令人兴奋的时刻。