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Infoletter 10February 2000
Dear Bone and Joint Decade supporting organisation and friend,
On behalf of the BJD Steering Committee I am pleased to report to you of the latest achievements in regard to the initiative.
Lars Lidgren, Chairman of the Steering Committee
The Geneva Meeting 13-15 Jan 2000 Pierre Hoffmeyer and his group in Geneva had made a terrific work in organising the first day at the President Wilson. The educational workshop was attended by more than hundred attendants with presentations from the different areas. The most impressive part of the programme were the presentations by the arthritis spoke person Amye Leong, Angelo Colombo representing spinal disorders and Armin Kuder from the Arthritis Foundation. Dr Jie Chen, Director of Non-Communicable Diseases in WHO, closed the session with a presentation of the progress within WHO and of the co-operative effort with BJD.
The dinner in the evening was delightful with strong representation from all continents of the world and all major organisations and highlighted by the scientific prize of spinal disorders of 200 000 SFr given to professor Björn Rydevik.
At the dinner it was announced by Professor Pierre Hoffmeyer that the Swiss Health Ministry in a signed letter declared its support to the BJD. The Italian representative Italy Giorgio Brunelli announced the Italian written governmental support. Brunelli also read a long statement from the Pope that received a warm support among the dinner attendees. The dinner was closed by the official declaration of the launch cutting the BJD cake with Amye Leong representing the patients and Lars Lidgren for the professional organisations and this was followed by 5 representatives for the different major areas of the BJD programme.
Further information with photos can be found on our homepage and an update published in Acta Orthopaedica Scandinavica 2000; 71(1): 3-6 is enclosed. The following day the WHO meeting was opened by Gro Harlem Brundtland. A more detailed information of the result of the workshop is now being worked out under the chair professor Anthony Woolf and will be sent to you with the next newsletter.
The logoIt is now of utmost importance that the participating organisations start using the BJD logo at your stationaries. Please refer to our homepage to see the precise instructions for using the logo. Please note that you can get a logo in hard copy or we can send it to you by mail. According to the decision made in Zürich at the National Coordinator's Meeting we need a written request from you preferably my mail in order to grant a permission.
ActivityIt is also important to report any activity to us especially about launching in your country, where it is going to take place and how these activities are being carried out. They can be found under network activity.
CommunicationA director of external communication, Anna Liljedahl, starts at the BJD office February 14, e-mail bjd@ort.lu.se.
Corporate partner for research educationWe are welcoming two companies, Searle and Wyeth - Ayerst who now have entered into a longterm partnership in support of the Decade. Both companies have interesting scientific developments within the musculo-skeletal area.
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