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Former Navy SEAL, John Choate and NASA Scientist, Dr. Jean Sibonga will Present Dynamic Keynote Presentations at ISO18 in New Orleans

ARLINGTON, VA — The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) announces former Navy SEAL, John Choate and NASA Scientist, Dr. Jean Sibonga as the keynote speakers for its annual meeting, the Interdisciplinary Symposium on Osteoporosis (ISO18), taking place in New Orleans, LA, from May 17-19, 2018. Along with the featured keynote speakers, ISO18 will bring together medical and scientific experts from across the bone health field to present the latest information on preventing broken bones and lead in-depth educational sessions on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis.

“With two million fractures caused by osteoporosis each year and 75,000 people a year dying because of osteoporotic-related fractures, ISO18 targets all medical disciplines and specialties who are on the front lines in diagnosing and treating patients with and at risk for osteoporosis and fractures,” said Elizabeth Thompson, CEO, NOF. “This year’s speakers are nationally and internationally recognized experts who will present sessions on a wide range of topics to provide attendees with multiple perspectives they can use to improve care for osteoporosis patients, help reduce the number of fractures caused by osteoporosis, and save lives.”

Building Cross-Functional Teams: Lessons Learned from a Combat Decorated Navy SEAL
John Choate, a former Navy SEAL and founder of the Procinctu Group, a global risk management firm that provides specialized security services to U.S. and foreign entities and multi-national corporations, will present ISO18’s opening keynote on Thursday, May 17, offering information and advice on building and maintaining effective cross-functional teams. John will share the highly successful team-based philosophy employed by the US Navy SEALs and discuss how these lessons can be converted into relevant and effective business practices to create efficient and inspired business, organizational or healthcare teams.

Bone Loss: A Space Odyssey
On Friday, May 18, Jean D. Sibonga, Ph.D. and Science Lead of the NASA Johnson Space Center’s Bone and Mineral Laboratory, will present the ISO18 plenary keynote and share insights and information on The Bone Discipline at Johnson Space Center, which is advocating for a biomechanical approach to assessing fracture risk in astronauts and the use of bisphosphonates during spaceflight to mitigate fracture risk in astronauts after their return to Earth. The approaches Dr. Sibonga will discuss are especially critical with multiple one-year missions planned for the International Space Station (ISS) and with future missions planned into deep space.

Additional ISO18 Highlights include:

  • Expert faculty leading in-depth courses on all facets of skeletal health assessment, osteoporosis diagnosis and patient management, exercise, nutrition, and post fracture care;
  • FLS training in both introductory and advanced courses offered via pre-conference symposia;
  • A Nutrition Workshop on the role nutrition plays on building and maintaining bone health with a live cooking demo from Chef Susan Spicer, of Bayona Restaurant, one of New Orleans’ award-winning chefs; and
  • The Raisz Memorial Lecture presented by Joan Lappe, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Creighton University.

Learn more about ISO18 and register to attend here: https://interdisciplinarysymposiumosteoporosis.org/.


About the National Osteoporosis Foundation 

Established in 1984, the National Osteoporosis Foundation is the nation’s leading health organization dedicated to preventing osteoporosis and broken bones, promoting strong bones for life and reducing human suffering through programs of awareness, education, advocacy and research. For more information on the National Osteoporosis Foundation, visit www.bonehealthandosteoporosis.org.