Bone and Joint Decade holds Capitol Hill luncheon
On July 15, the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade sponsored the first of several planned luncheons on Capitol Hill, to raise awareness of musculoskeletal diseases and conditions in the United States. The event, sponsored by Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Reps. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), focused on advancements in the research and treatment of osteoporosis. More than 50 congressional staff attended the luncheon, including Allan Noonan, MD, MPH, special advisor to the U.S. Surgeon General’s office.
Regis O’Keefe, MD, PhD, an orthopaedic surgeon from Rochester, N.Y., and president of the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade (USBJD) chaired the session. The USBJD is a coalition of more than 85 organizations
Deborah T. Gold, PhD, associate research professor of medical sociology at
Duke University Medicine Center, spoke to the gathering on the unexpected consequences of osteoporosis. Linda Harrigan, a patient diagnosed with osteoporosis in 1986, provided a personal view of the illness. Harrigan has become an outspoken advocate, as she has worked to raise awareness and patient involvement.
Joan McGowan, PhD, chief, Musculoskeletal Diseases Branch of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease, spoke on the progress and promise of research. Summarizing actions that must follow, along with the need for fair appropriations, was Cliff Rosen, MD, immediate past president, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
For more information on the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade, go to http://www.usbjd.org/