
Barbara Hannah Grufferman
Washington, DC (January 28, 2013) – The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), the nation’s leading health organization dedicated to preventing osteoporosis and broken bones, has named Barbara Hannah Grufferman as its first Bone Health Ambassador. In this newly-established role, Grufferman, a well-known advocate for healthy and positive living, will dedicate her time, talent and energy to raise awareness for osteoporosis and the importance of building strong bones for life.
Grufferman, author of the best-selling resource book, The Best of Everything After 50: The Experts’ Guide to Style, Sex, Health, Money and More and a weekly front-page column on Huffington Post and AARP.com, will leverage her reach and trusted reputation with women over 50 to amplify NOF’s messages on the importance of a healthy lifestyle to prevent osteoporosis. As Chief Pundit for Fab Over Fifty, Positive Living Expert for GLOW Beauty, Health & Wellness Magazine, a regular blogger for several websites and a personality seen and heard frequently on The Today Show, The Early Show, Good Morning America Health, as well as numerous radio and internet programs, Grufferman reaches the public with messages on health, nutrition, career, fitness, sex and many other topics related to positive and healthy aging through a wide variety of channels.
“The opportunity to raise awareness for bone health and osteoporosis in America is huge,” Grufferman said. “When I started approaching 50, I decided to take stock of where I was in my life and committed myself to improving my health and well-being as I aged. I’m bringing this same passion and energy to my role as NOF’s Bone Health Ambassador. I want everyone to know that aging can be our time of greatest strength and by taking steps to protect your bones today, you can prevent osteoporosis and live a lifetime of independence.”
“We’re thrilled to welcome Barbara as our first Bone Health Ambassador. I can’t think of anyone more perfect to put a new face on osteoporosis and show people that it’s not an old person’s disease,” said NOF Executive Director and CEO, Amy Porter. “Barbara is living proof that we can get better as we age. Bringing her on board in this capacity further demonstrates NOF’s commitment to breaking the stereotypes on osteoporosis and getting people to take action against this disease.”
Grufferman received NOF’s Generations of Strength Award in September for her outspoken support of positive and healthy aging in America. As NOF’s first Bone Health Ambassador, she will lead by example and use her frequent speaking engagements and regular television and radio appearances as opportunities to share NOF’s mission with the public and advance the organization’s efforts to prevent osteoporosis by motivating people to learn about their family health history, talk to their doctors and take action to build healthy bones that will last a lifetime.
Thanks to a generous gift from The Samuel J. & Ethel LeFrak Charitable Trust, the National Osteoporosis Foundation met its Generations of Strength fundraising goal one year early. NOF launched the Generations of Strength initiative in September 2011 with the goal of raising $2 million in two years to improve patient care for the most vulnerable – those who have broken bones due to osteoporosis – and to protect future generations from the disease.
The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), the nation’s leading health organization dedicated to preventing osteoporosis and broken bones, has named Claire Gill as its Senior Director of Marketing, Consumer and Corporate Outreach. Gill brings extensive experience in public relations and marketing communications to this newly-established role.
New NOF-commissioned research published online by Osteoporosis International found that postmenopausal women who complied with taking 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium and 400 international units (IU) of vitamin D supplements for five years significantly reduced their risk for hip fracture by 76 percent. The study is also the latest research to be released showing no statistically significant link between calcium supplementation and increased risk of heart disease.