News Release

IOF President's Award presented to notable osteoporosis advocates from 6 regions

International Osteoporosis Foundation shines spotlight on exceptional commitment to IOF and education on osteoporosis

Grant and Award Announcement

International Osteoporosis Foundation

At a ceremony held during the World Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases in Seville, Spain, the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) awarded the IOF President's Award in recognition of outstanding contributions and dedication to the work of IOF and to osteoporosis awareness and education worldwide.

The winners, selected from each of six geographical regions, are:

ASIA-PACIFIC – Prof. Peter Ebeling M.D.

Chair, Northwestern Academic Centre and Assistant Dean, Faculty Medicine, University of Melbourne; Head of Endocrinology, Western Hospital, Melbourne. He has recently been appointed Professor of Medicine and Head of Department at Monash University, Monash Health, Melbourne, and he will take up this appointment in May 2014. Prof. Ebeling is IOF Board Member, a lead author of the IOF Asia-Pacific Regional Audit, and IOF Committee of Scientific Advisors CSA Working Group member.

EASTERN EUROPE – Prof. Olga Lesnyak M.D.

Professor of the Department of Family Medicine, Mechnikov North-West State Medical University, Saint-Petersburg, Russia; President and IOF Committee of National Society (CNS) representative of the Russian Association on Osteoporosis; Lead author of the IOF Eastern European & Central Asian Regional Audit.

LATIN AMERICA – Dr Osvaldo Daniel Messina M.D.

Director of Rheumatology, Cosme Argerich Hospital, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Director of Rheumatology Training Program at the School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires; Past President of the Argentine Society of Osteoporosis, IOF Board Member and IOF representative for Latin America, Member of the IOF Committee of Scientific Advisors.

MIDDLE EAST – Dr Basel Masri M.D.

Senior Consultant Rheumatologist and Director of the Jordan Osteoporosis Center, Jordan Hospital, Amman,Jordan; Founding President of the Jordanian Osteoporosis Prevention Society and Co-founder of the Pan Arab Osteoporosis Society; IOF Board Member and former IOF representative for Middle East and Africa.

WESTERN EUROPE – Prof. Johann Ringe M.D.

Director of the Western German Center for Osteoporosis (WOZ), Department of Internal Medicine at Leverkusen Hospital, University of Cologne, Germany; Member of the IOF Committee of Scientific Advisors.

NORTH AMERICA – Prof. Paul D. Miller M.D.

Distinguished Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center; Medical Director of the Colorado Center for Bone Research, Lakewood, Colorado; former IOF Board Member and founding President of the ISCD; Member of the IOF Committee of Scientific Advisors.

Professor John A. Kanis, IOF President stated, "I am pleased to present this Award, for the first time, to six osteoporosis experts who have shown great personal commitment as educators and advocates, both through their work with IOF and at the national or regional level. Today, worldwide, there is greater public awareness and health professional knowledge of osteoporosis than ever before – and this is in large part thanks to the work of dedicated individuals such as the six honoured here today."

He added, "I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the Award winners for placing their energy and expertize in the service of IOF and the osteoporosis community as a whole."

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About IOF

The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) is the world's largest nongovernmental organization dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis and related musculoskeletal diseases. IOF members, including committees of scientific researchers, leading companies, as well as more than 200 patient, medical and research societies, work together to make bone, joint and muscle health a worldwide heath care priority. http://www.iofbonehealth.org ; http://www.facebook.com/iofbonehealth ; http://twitter.com/iofbonehealth #OsteoCongress Information about the IOF-ESCEO World Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthitis and Musculoskeletal Diseases is available at http://www.wco-iof-esceo.org

Media contact

Charanjit K. Jagait, PhD
Communications Director, International Osteoporosis Foundation
Tel.: +41 22 994 01 02 • Mob.: +41 79 874 52 08 • Email: cjagait@iofbonehealth.org


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