"Thank you for continuing to rise up to the challenge of osteoporosis and for striving for a world without broken bones, where all citizens stand straight and strong and safe," said Queen Rania of Jordan, IOF's patron, speaking in a video message. Queen Rania added that the challenges the medical profession faces with osteoporosis are greater than most. By increasing understanding of osteoporosis, spearheading medical research, and lobbying for changes in legislation, IOF is ensuring that people live happy, healthy and productive lives.

Addressing the participants, IOF Chairman Professor Pierre D. Delmas, spoke about the great responsibility that physicians have. He encouraged health care professionals to learn more about osteoporosis in order to better treat their patients, and also urged them to work with national osteoporosis societies to develop education programs and add their voices to lobbying efforts to generate change in health policies concerning reimbursement for diagnostic tests and treatment.

Also speaking at the opening, Professor Rene Rizzoli, chairman of the IOF WCO Scientific Committee, and chairman of IOF's Committee of Scientific Advisors, noted that the IOF WCO is the only global congress devoted entirely to osteoporosis. He highlighted features of the 2006 event, which include the first Bone Research in Space symposium, which "may lead to a significantly better understanding of the deterioration of bone health in the bedridden elderly," and, for the first time, a special day devoted to Allied Health Professionals. This year's congress attracted almost 800 abstracts, twice the number of the previous congress held in 2004 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he added. The Toronto congress will stage 40 oral presentations and 74 Meet the Experts sessions, whi
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Contact: Andrew Leopold
aleopold@webershandwick.com
416-964-6444
International Osteoporosis Foundation
5-Jun-2006