Bone & Joint Decade Update

James P. Waddell, M.D., FRCSC
Coordinator, Canadian National Action Network
Toronto, ON

The National Action Network for the Bone & Joint Decade in Canada continues to be very active. I am happy to report on a number of new developments since our last update in the Bulletin.

Our second newsletter has been published, which focused on osteoporosis. I would like to thank all of the contributors from the Canadian Orthopaedic Association who gave willingly of their time and expertise to make the newsletter a success. The next newsletter will be on trauma and we will have a fourth newsletter on childhood disorders. Anyone who would like to contribute to the newsletter within the four areas we have identified (arthritis, osteoporosis, trauma and childhood diseases) is very welcome. You can contact my office at Cette adresse email est protégée contre les robots des spammeurs, vous devez activer Javascript pour la voir. , Ms. Hazel Wood at Cette adresse email est protégée contre les robots des spammeurs, vous devez activer Javascript pour la voir. or Ms. Dot Brown at Cette adresse email est protégée contre les robots des spammeurs, vous devez activer Javascript pour la voir. .

We have received a substantial grant from Pfizer Canada to assist us in our activities. This grant is most welcome as it supplements the money received from the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation and from Stryker Canada. This money will allow us to continue to publish the newsletter, allow Dot and Hazel to attend meetings in central Canada and western Canada that are relevant to the mission of the Decade and will also allow us to continue to plan for our meeting in 2005. The Coordinators for the National Action Networks for all the countries involved in the Bone & Joint Decade meet with the International Steering Committee on an annual basis. The meeting in 2005 is tentatively scheduled to take place in Toronto sometime in the fall. This is going to be an unparalleled opportunity for us to showcase musculoskeletal health in Canada to a worldwide audience and we are very excited about our prospects for this meeting.

Just such a meeting as this was held in Berlin at the end of October. I am delighted to announce that the International Steering Committee recognized Dr. Cyril B. Frank, Scientific Director of the Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA), with the Research Funding Relations Reward. This recognizes the extraordinary efforts that Cy has made to increase research funding for musculoskeletal health and arthritis in Canada and the unique public private partnerships that he has helped to develop through the CIHR. This is a terrific honor, not only for the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis, but also for Canadian Orthopaedics and we are all tremendously excited that Cy has received this important recognition

I look forward to the opportunity to communicate with you further in the next issue of the Bulletin regarding ongoing efforts in the Bone & Joint Decade.