HOUSTON -- (April 1, 2009) -- Causes and consequences of small-for-gestational-age infants will be the topic of discussion in a public forum April 14 at The Health Museum of Houston.

The forum will feature Dr. Eric Eichenwald, associate professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and medical director of the Texas Children's Hospital Newborn Center, and Dr. Kjersti Aagaard, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at BCM.

Eichenwald and Aagaard will discuss the effects of small-for-gestational-age status on neonatal, childhood and adult outcomes, as well as influences on how genes are expressed.

Sponsored by BCM and Texas Children's, the event is part of the monthly "Evening with Genetics" lecture series organized by BCM's Department of Molecular and Human Genetics. The series offers current information regarding care, education and research about genetic disorders.

Small-for-gestational-age refers to newborn infants whose size and weight are considerably less than the average for babies of the same age.

The program is free and open to the public. It will be held at 7 p.m. at The Health Museum of Houston, 1515 Hermann Dr. For more information or to register, contact Susan Fernbach at 832-822-4182 or fernbach@bcm.edu.

Additional information can be found on upcoming seminars at http://www.bcm.edu/eveninggenetics/.