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The
Founding
of the
National
Osteoporosis
Foundation
In April
1984,
the
National
Institutes
of
Health
held a
Consensus
Development
Conference
on
Osteoporosis
(see
bottom
of page
for more
information).
The
conference
panel
was led
by
William
A. Peck,
MD. Dr.
Peck
currently
serves
as
Director,
Center
for
Health
Policy
and
Distinguished
Professor
of
Medicine
at the
Washington
University
in
St.
Louis.
In 1984,
he was
serving
as Simon
Professor,
Washington
University
School
of
Medicine
and
Physician-in-Chief,
The
Jewish
Hospital
of St.
Louis.
The
consensus
panel
included
medical
representatives
of
orthopedics,
endocrinology,
gynecology,
rheumatology,
epidemiology,
nutrition,
biochemistry,
family
medicine,
and the
general
public.
The
panel
considered
current
scientific
knowledge
on
osteoporosis
and
agreed
on
answers
to the
following
key
questions:
-
What
is
osteoporosis?
-
What
are
the
clinical
features
of
osteoporosis,
and
how is
it
detected?
-
Who is
at
risk
for
developing
osteoporosis?
-
What
are
the
possible
causes
of
osteoporosis?
-
How
can
osteoporosis
be
prevented
and
treated?
-
What
are
the
directions
for
future
research?
At the
conclusion
of the
NIH
Consensus
Conference,
a press
briefing
attended
by
representatives
of the
print
and
broadcast
media
was
held.
In the
ensuing
months
there
were
numerous
articles,
newspaper
stories,
and
television
programs
related
to the
findings
announced
by the
consensus
panel.
As a
result,
major
academic
health
centers
nationwide
received
thousands
of calls
from
patients
and
physicians
alike
who
asked
for more
information
on
optimum
approaches
to the
prevention
and
treatment
of
osteoporosis.
This
activity
led to a
decision
by Dr.
Peck, a
past
president
of the
American
Society
of Bone
and
Mineral
Research,
to call
a
meeting
of
leading
researchers
in the
field of
osteoporosis
to
discuss
the
overwhelming
public
and
professional
interest
in the
disease,
and to
offer a
strategy
for
responding
to this
broad
interest.
The
result
of this
meeting
led, in
December
1984, to
the
establishment
of The
Osteoporosis
Foundation,
a
national
nonprofit
voluntary
health
organization
solely
dedicated
to
osteoporosis
and bone
health.
The
organization
was
renamed
the
National
Osteoporosis
Foundation
(NOF) in
1985.
The
founding
trustees
recognized
that
scientists
needed
to be on
the
board to
provide
critical
leadership
in this
arena.
In 1985,
they
also
made the
decision
to
structure
the
voluntary
board to
include
broad-based
representation
as well.
One of
the
first
steps
they
made in
this
direction
was to
appoint
a
chair.
The
individual
they
nominated,
and who
accepted
this
role,
was the
Honorable
Paul G.
Rogers.
Mr.
Rogers
had
served
in
Congress
for 24
years,
and for
eight of
those
years
was the
Chairman
of the
House
Subcommittee
on
Health
and
Environment.
Virtually
every
major
piece of
landmark
health
legislation
bears
the
Rogers
name.
He was
instrumental
in
helping
to enact
the
National
Arthritis
Act, The
Research
on Aging
Act, The
National
Cancer
Act, The
Clean
Air Act,
The Safe
Drinking
Water
Act, and
helped
to
establish
the
National
Institute
on Aging
of the
National
Institutes
of
Health.
In 1986,
NOF
established
its
offices
in
Washington
DC,
hired
its
first
full-time
executive
director,
Sandra
Raymond,
and
developed
the
following
mission
statement:
The
National
Osteoporosis
Foundation
is
dedicated
to
reducing
the
widespread
prevalence
of
osteoporosis
and is
leading
the
attack
on
osteoporosis
with a
five-part
mission
to:
-
Advocate
governmental
support
for
research
on
osteoporosis,
-
Provide
direct
support
for
research
and
research
training,
-
Increase
public
awareness
and
knowledge
about
osteoporosis,
-
Educate
physicians
and
other
health
professionals,
-
Provide
information
to
patients
and
their
families.
Compared
to many
of the
other
voluntary
health
agencies
established
earlier
in the
1900s,
NOF is
still a
young
organization.
However,
in its
two
decades
of
operation,
NOF has
made
strong
strides
in
advancing
osteoporosis
awareness,
education,
research
and
advocacy.
As the
significant
osteoporosis
milestones
identified
below
highlight,
NOF has
spearheaded
or been
integral
in
efforts
covering
a wide
spectrum
and
include
serving
as a
resource
to the
public,
healthcare
professionals,
the
media
and the
government.
Milestones
in
Osteoporosis
(1984 –
present)
Include:
1984
-
April
1984,
first NIH
Consensus
Development
Conference
on
Osteoporosis
is
conducted.
-
December
1984,
The
Osteoporosis
Foundation
is
formed
(name
changed
to
National
Osteoporosis
Foundation
in
1985).
1985
-
A bill
calling
for
the
first
National
Osteoporosis
Prevention
Week
in May
is
passed
in
Congress.
NOF
develops
and
disseminates
materials
for
the
week.
NOF
now
coordinates
efforts
related
to
Osteoporosis
Awareness
and
Prevention
Month
recognized
in
May.
-
NOF
establishes
a
Scientific
Advisory
Board
(now
known
as
Scientific
Advisory
Council
(SAC))
to
advise
NOF on
matters
relating
to
research,
scientific
developments
and
educational
programs
and
materials
relevant
to the
concerns
of the
Foundation.
1986
-
The
National
Institute
for
Arthritis,
Musculoskeletal
and
Skin
Disease
(NIAMS)
is
established
as an
institute
of the
National
Institutes
of
Health
(NIH).
Its
focus
includes
leading
efforts
to
conduct
and
support
basic,
clinical
and
epidemiologic
studies
on the
causes,
diagnosis,
treatment
and
prevention
of
osteoporosis
and
related
bone
diseases.
-
NOF
begins
operation
in
Washington,
DC.
1988
-
The
NOF
Scientific
Advisory
Board
submits
a
report,
Clinical
Indications
for
Bone
Mass
Measurements,
to the
Health
Care
Financing
Administration
in
November.
The
report
is
published
a year
later
in the
Journal
of
Bone
and
Mineral
Research.
1990
-
NOF,
in
partnership
with
the
International
Osteoporosis
Foundation,
began
publishing
Osteoporosis
International,
a
monthly,
scientfic
journal
dedicated
to the
diagnosis,
treatment
and
management
of
osteoporosis.
1991
-
The
Department
of
Health
and
Human
Services
(DHHS)
publishes
Osteoporosis
Research,
Education
and
Health
Promotion,
a
detailed
review
of its
activities
directed
at
reducing
the
prevalence
of
osteoporosis,
in
response
to a
directive
of the
US
Senate
Appropriations
Committee.
1993
-
NOF
creates
and
begins
promoting
the
adoption
of
model
state
laws
for
osteoporosis
prevention
and
treatment
education
programs
and
coverage
of
bone
mineral
density
testing.
More
than
30
states
have
passed
these
laws.
Over
time,
NOF
has
updated
these
model
state
laws,
most
recently
in
2005.
1994
-
NIAMS
awards
a
grant
to the
NOF to
establish
the
National
Institutes
of
Health
Osteoporosis
and
Related
Bone
Diseases
~
National
Resource
Center
in
partnership
with
The
Paget
Foundation
and
Osteogenesis
Imperfecta
Foundation.
The
NIH
National
Resource
Center’s
mission
is to
expand
awareness
and
enhance
knowledge
and
understanding
of the
prevention,
early
detection,
and
treatment
of
osteoporosis
and
related
bone
diseases.
-
Working
with
NOF,
the
Office
of
Technology
Assessment
(OTA)
evaluates
the
impact
of
osteoporosis
in the
US and
gaps
in
research,
public
and
professional
education
and
the
cost
effectiveness
of
bone
density
tests.
The
resulting
reports,
Public
Information
About
Osteoporosis:
What’s
Available,
What’s
Needed
and
Hip
Fractures:
Outcomes
in
People
Age
Fifty
and
Over,
are
released
in
October
1994.
1995
-
NOF
establishes
the
Interspecialty
Medical
Council
(IMC)
to
provide
a
diverse
and
important
perspective
on
issues
of
common
concern
around
osteoporosis
and
bone
health
relating
to
professional
practice,
education
and
public
policy,
among
others.
-
NIH
announces
commencement
of the
Women’s
Health
Initiative
(WHI),
the
largest
study
of its
kind,
to
track
the
health
of
160,000
women
of
various
racial
and
ethnic
backgrounds.
One of
three
major
focus
areas
is the
connection
between
calcium/Vitamin
D and
bone
fractures.
1996
-
Led by
NIAMS,
The
Federal
Working
Group
on
Bone
Diseases
is
created
to
enhance
communication
and
coordinate
research
efforts
in
bone
diseases
among
NIH
Institutes
and
other
Federal
agencies.
1997
-
NOF
publishes
its
first
prevalence
report.
1998
-
NOF
publishes
clinical
practice
guidelines,
The
Prevention
and
Treatment
of
Osteoporosis,
which
were
endorsed
by the
majority
of the
IMC
members,
including:
American
Academy
of
Physical
Medicine
and
Rehabilitation,
American
Association
of
Clinical
Endocrinologists,
American
College
of
Obstetricians
and
Gynecologists,
American
College
of
Radiology,
American
College
of
Rheumatology,
American
Geriatrics
Society,
American
Society
of
Internal
Medicine,
American
Society
for
Bone
and
Mineral
Research
and
the
Endocrine
Society.
-
The
Medicare
Bone
Mass
Measurement
Coverage
Standardization
Act
goes
into
effect,
giving
women
and
men
age 65
and
older
who
are at
risk
for
osteoporosis
access
to
this
diagnostic
test.
-
NOF
leads
the
effort
to
secure
$3
million
for
the
first
phase
of a
multi-million
dollar
National
Bone
Health
Campaign
aimed
at
girls
ages
9-12
and
their
parents.
Campaign
partners
include
the
DHHS
Office
of
Women’s
Health,
Centers
for
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