National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) Honors the Surgeon General of the United States, Vice Admiral Richard H. Carmona at its Silhouette Ball with the “Paul G. Rogers” Leadership Award

(Washington, DC) – Marking its 20th anniversary, the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) will host its annual gala at the Pierre Hotel in New York City on Tuesday, June 15, 2004. For the third year consecutively, President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush will serve as honorary co-chairs of “The Silhouette Ball.” NOF will honor the Surgeon General of the United States, Vice Admiral Richard H. Carmona, M.D., by presenting him with the “Paul G. Rogers Leadership Award”, named after the Foundation’s founding chair.

“NOF is paying tribute to the Surgeon General of the United States, Vice Admiral Richard H. Carmona, M.D., for his efforts to confront the public health risk posed by osteoporosis as evidenced by the upcoming Surgeon General’s Report on Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases. This report is especially timely when we consider the current prevalence figures: One in every two women and one in every four men age 50 and older will experience an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime,” said Judith Cranford, NOF Executive Director.

NOF will also present the Honorable Ann Richards, former Governor of Texas and author with its “Excellence in Communications Award.” Richard U. Levine, M.D., Vice Chairman, OB/GYN, New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University, will receive NOF’s “Osteoporosis Outreach Award.” Together, Ms. Richards and Dr. Levine wrote “I’m Not Slowing Down: Winning My Battle With Osteoporosis”, a book which shares her struggle with the disease. Ethel LeFrak, philanthropist, will receive the first NOF’s “Women of Substance” award.

“The Silhouette Ball will be a special opportunity to pay tribute to the Honorable Paul G. Rogers, who as NOF’s Founding Chair, has played a key critical role in role in advancing the organization’s mission; to prevent osteoporosis, to promote lifelong bone health, to help improve the lives of those affected by osteoporosis and related fractures, and to find a cure,” said Bess Dawson-Hughes, MD, President of NOF. Dr. Dawson-Hughes is Professor of Medicine at Tufts University and Director of the Bone Metabolism Laboratory at the Jean Mayer United States Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.

Established in 1984, the National Osteoporosis Foundation is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization solely dedicated to osteoporosis and bone health and strives to make bone health a reality and a lifelong priority for all individuals. Additional information about osteoporosis is available at www.nof.org.

Our special thanks our event supporters including: Abelson-Taylor, Inc., The Alliance for Better Bone Health, Amgen Inc., AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Company, Fisher Scientific International Inc., Goldman, Sachs & Co., Grey Healthcare Group/Grey Worldwide, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Merck & Co., Inc., Mission Pharmacal Company, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Pfizer Inc., Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals and Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Roche and GlaxoSmithKline, Wyeth.