It Starts with One…Newborn Screening

Newborn screening is recognized as an essential, preventive public health program for early identification of disorders in newborns. Screening programs began with one man, Dr. Robert Guthrie, who in the 1960’s developed a screening test for phenylketonuria (PKU), the first disorder for which newborns were routinely screened. In 2008, Congress passed the first Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act to establish national newborn screening guidelines and facilitate comprehensive newborn screening