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INFOLETTER 20December 2001
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
This newsletter is the last before Christmas. 2001 has been a year full of BJD events despite the situation in the world. We are now looking forward to a new active year and hoping that the year 2002 will be more peaceful.
The Bone and Joint Decade's efforts to improve the health-related quality of life for people with musculoskeletal disorders worldwide are moving forward. All incoming reports on activities from our National Action Networks and our participating organisations are really gratifying reading. The BJD Secretariat is communicating via e-mail with BJD Coordinators and organisations every day.
The members of the International Steering Committee are planning individual visits to our Networks and to attend a national Network meeting during the spring 2002. Here below you will find our latest news.
The Portal projectMost English speaking non US societies have now joined the Musculoskeletal Portal, designed to bring societies and physicians closer together through an increase in meaningful interaction.
On December 11, 2001, IBM invited the societies to an audio/Internet meeting to review the technology platform. This "virtual meeting" was intended to provide participants with an in-depth review of the features and functions designed and maintained by IBM, from the perspective of the society administrator and member. John Socolofsky, the IBM-appointed technical project director (who has been responsible for the U.S. launch) instructed from IBM's London headquarters.
European Union/Health - Appeal by International Osteoporosis Foundation in partnership with BJD and positive response by Commissioner ByrneThe International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) in partnership with the BJD launched an appeal in the European Parliament on December 4, 2001, in the presence of Mr David Byrne (Commissioner of Public Health and Consumer Protection) and British MEP Imelda Read for action by the European Community to stem the development of osteoporosis by preventing the first fracture.
According to an audit report produced by IOF with the help of the BJD and made public on that occasion, the number of osteoporotic hip fractures has risen by over 25% in the European Community in the last 3 to 4 years to reach an annual figure in excess of 480,000 fractures. The cost of osteoporosis has increased by some 33% over the same period and now stands at over 4.8 billion euro a year for hospital care alone. Largely due to the ageing population, the number of people suffering from osteoporosis will probably multiply by two to five over the next five years. Measures taken in the Community, and in Member States, to date have been disappointing. The most urgent task is for health systems to make available and pay for bone density tests and treatments so that people with risk factors will benefit from them before the first fracture appears.
Commissioner Byrne replied favourably to this appeal. He referred to his intention of acting at an European Union level so as to encourage prevention and treatment of osteoporosis before the first fracture. Mr. Byrne said that the Commission would soon be assessing measures taken by Member States to implement the recommendations adopted at the European Union level in 1998.
More information, including a pdf file of the new audit report, available from www.osteofound.org or by contacting BJD International Steering Committee member Mary Anderson.
The BJD Annual Action Network meeting 2002The Network meeting will take place on 12-13 September, 2002 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with Dr. Marcos E Musafir, ISC member and National Action Coordinator as our host. All networks will be contacted directly with an invitation to this meeting.
The BJD AmbassadorsOn December 5, 2001 the Nomination Committee appointed the following persons to be BJD Ambassadors:
Dr. Pal GÉHER, M.D., Ph.D, Hungary
Prof. Shoichi Kokubun, M.D., Ph.D, Japan
Prof. Alexander Krasnov, MD, Ph.D, Russia
Prof. emeritus Heikki Isomäki, Finland
Prof. emeritus Pär Slätis, Finland
Prof. Girish Mody, South Africa
Prof. Peter Walker, Ph.D, UK
Dr. Shaun Ruddy, M.D., USA
Dr. Bevra H. Hahn, M.D., USA
Prof. Dr. med. Maurice E. Müller, Switzerland
Prof. dr. Sj. Van der Linden, The Netherlands
BJD Ambassadors appointed from 1999:
Prof. Frank Wollheim, Sweden
Prof. Alf Nachemson, Sweden
Prof. Victor H. Frankel, USA
Dr D. Luis Musculo, Argentina
Dr Jos van Niekirk, South Africa
Prof. Norbert Geschwend, Switzerland
The BJD Ambassador ProgramPurpose: To recognize and honor global and national thought leaders in the musculoskeletal health professional and patient communities (scientific, clinical, educator, advoacate, researcher, etc) as Bone and Joint Decade Ambassadors. Ambassadors will be responsible for promoting the mission of the Bone and Joint Decade within their countries, assisting National Networks developments, facilitating contacts and making recommendations to the International Steering Committee.
The BJD International AwardsOn December 5, 2001 the Nomination Committee made the decision to award the following who will present and receive their awards at the network meeting in Brazil.
Dr. Géza Balint, M.D., D.Sc.Hungary National Action Network Coordinator The Network has been awarded in the category: Research Funding Relations
Dr Jacek Kruczynski, M.D., Poland National Action Network Coordinator The Network has been awarded in the category: Awareness
Dr. M.W.M. Kruijsen, Dutch Society for Rheumatology, The Netherlands The Network has been awarded in the category: Partnership
Prof. Peter Brooks, Executive Dean (Health Sciences) National Action Network Coordinator, Australia Prof. Brooks has been awarded in the category: Individual achievement: for his work to designate arthritis and bone and joint conditions as a health priority area and for the production of a very instructive video on the Bone and Joint Decade in Australia.
The BJD websiteThe current BJD homepage will be transformed by the BJD office into the new musculoskeletal Portal site shortly. Information will follow.
National Action NetworksActivities: Argentina: The Argentine National Network developed a series of activities in order to achieve its BJD objectives and enhance its performance. A new local Committee was integrated with the entering Presidents of the different participating Societies. An Executive Board formed by members of the Argentine National Academy of Medicine, Drs. L.Cabrini, A. Maccagno and Carlos Mautalen selected Dr. D. Luis Muscolo as President of the local NAN for a term of 3 years. It was decided that each participating society will contribute with 2 Directors, one of them should be President of the participating Society.
At the NAN Meeting held on the 18th of September 2001, alternatives for future actions were evaluated in order to fulfil the BJD objectives.
Participating Societies were encouraged to include the Bone and Joint Decade logo in all their scientific journals as well as to publish an editorial to make known the BJD initiatives. It was also approved that each participating Society will sponsor an award directed to areas related with the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders.
Each participating Society was asked to organize at its annual meeting a round table or lecture entitled "Bone and Joint Decade Round Table or Lecture".
Each participating Society was asked to secure at least two corporate supporters for the NAN.
For more info please contact Dr. D. Luis Muscolo
Bulgaria: The 8th National Congress of the Bulgarian Orthopaedic and Traumatologic Association (BOTA) was held on 27- 29 September in Albena. The opening ceremony and the most of the scientific sessions paid special attention to the goals and objectives of BJD, underlining its important contributions to solving the burden and problems of muskulo-skeletal diseases and injuries all over the world now and in the following years.
Discussions included important proposals to improve prevention and treatment of the bone and joint diseases in Bulgaria. Special attention was paid to raise the awareness of the Ministry of Health and health insurance institutions. The participation of press and electronic media was very active and very effective. For more information please contact Panayot Tanchev, National Coordinator.
Germany: A German Press Conference on Osteoporosis took place on December 13 in Munich. The press seminar on the main topic of the German network - osteoporosis - has been sponsored in part by the German Health Ministry. 32 journalists attended the seminar; speakers included orthopaedists, rheumatologists, endocrinologists, osteologists, traumatologists and patient representatives. The German chairwoman Mrs Liz Mohn, gave an opening address and attended the meeting. For more information please contact Dr Karsten Dreinhöfer.
Hungary:Dr. Géza Bálint, NAN coordinator in Hungary reported that under the umbrella of the Bone and Joint Decade, the Pécs University Medical Centre has won a State Grant of 700 million HUF (approx. 2,2 million USD) for researching and developing the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal diseases. For more info visit the BJD website or contact Dr. Géza Bálint.
Japan: In order to strengthen the network in Japan a Japan BJD NAN Steering Committee has been formed, which consists of:
- Japanese Orthopaedic Association (Representative: Prof. Hiroshi Yamamoto, Member of the BJD Steering Committee and the President of JOA, Prof. Takahide Kurokawa, Chairman of Japan NAN since 2000)
- Japanese Spine Research Society (Representative: Prof. Shinya Kawai, Chairman of Japan BJD-NAN-SC)
- Japanese Rheumatism Association (Representative: Prof. Kusuki Nishioka)
- Japanese Society for Osteoporosis (Representative: Prof. Hideaki Takahashi)
- Japanese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine (Representative: Prof. Shigenobu Ishigami
44 academic societies now comprise the the Japanese NAN. E-mail: kurokawa@post.cc.showa-u.ac.jp, s.kawai@yamaguchi-u-ac.jpand yhiroshi@kochi-mas.ac.jp.
Thailand: Reported that a new Executive Committee of the National Action Network has been formed. Dr. Mongkol Vatanasuk, the NAN Coordinator, has been elected as the President of the Committee. All of the participating organisations will appoint their representatives of the Committee, and appropriate planning of the activities will be carried out subsequently. E-mail: vatanasu@cscoms.com
Dr. Mongkol Vatanasuk would like to invite all NAN Coordinators to participate in the APLAR 2002 Post-Congress Meeting on "Raising the standards of education of rheumatic disorders, the Bone and Joint Decade Program and on the BJD Education Task Force Activities" which will be held at a beach resort hotel in Pattaya during December 6-8, 2002. However, the number of participants is limited, based on first-come, first-serve basis. This is due to the limited number of hotel rooms since it is the peak tourist season, in which the hotel reservation must be made well in advance. The meeting will follow the 10th APLAR Congress of Rheumatology which is scheduled during December 1-6, 2002 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok, Thailand.
If interested, please contact the APLAR 2002 Congress Secretariat, e-mail: secretariat@aplar2002.comor the APLAR 2002 Congress website.
Additional information may also be obtained from Dr. Mongkol Vatanasuk.
Please note that all activities in the different countries are listed on our homepage.
The BJD websitePlease send in information and photos (fine quality) on activities and events to the BJD Secretariat, and we will put it on the web. Please visit and inform in your country about the BJD website and download information.
The BJD logoIt is of utmost importance that the participating organisations are using the BJD logo for participating organisations according to the BJD Logo Guidelines. By displaying the logo of the Bone and Joint Decade at key meetings or in journals, your organisation demonstrates a connection to and support for the global initiative involving over 750 organisations to improve the quality of life for people with musculoskeletal disorders worldwide. You will find some examples how to highlight a meeting on our website.
The Bone and Joint Decade SecretariatIf you have any questions or need any assistance please feel free to contact our secretary in Lund, Agneta Jönsson.
Next InfoletterWill be sent out on February 26, 2002 information to be included, please submit before February 12, 2002.
If you are interested in receiving the Bone and Joint Decade Infoletter, please send your name, e-mail address, address and fax number to bjd@ort.lu.seand we will see to it that the letter will be delivered to you. You will also find our latest Infoletter on our homepage under the heading News.
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