November 2007

Welcome to the November edition of the ASBMR e-news! We hope you enjoy reading the e-news and we welcome your comments and suggestions at asbmr@asbmr.org.

News

Bridge Funding Research Grant Awards—Deadline: November 30th
ASBMR recognizes that this is a difficult time for research funding and offers the Bridge Funding Research Grants Program to assist members who have encountered an interruption in their funding, in order to maintain ongoing research efforts. Award recipients can receive up to $50,000 in support. For more information about this program, including the recently expanded eligibility criteria, please visit the ASBMR Website. The next application deadline is Friday, November 30, 2007.

USBJD Young Investigator Initiative – Deadline: January 15th
The United States Bone and Joint Decade (USBJD) offers a program for early-career, clinical investigators that provides a series of workshops and mentoring opportunities for young investigators. These programs afford young investigators the chance to work with experienced researchers in the field who assist them in securing funding and provide invaluable survival skills in their academic careers. This workshop series is open to promising junior faculty, senior fellows or post-doctoral researchers, all of whom are nominated by their department or division chairs. Investigators selected to take part in the program attend two workshops, six or twelve months apart, while working with faculty in between to develop their grant applications. The next deadline is January 15, 2008. For more information on this program, including an application timeline and how to apply, visit the USBJD website at www.usbjd.org.

ASBMR Mentor Matching Program
The ASBMR Mentorship Matching program helps foster the development of young investigators. ASBMR is looking for members who are willing to share their significant scientific experience and professional expertise on a broad range of topics with other members; as well as offer advice on challenges that arise during early, mid or late career stages. For those seeking a mentor, the ASBMR represents diverse scientific experts at all career stages. We encourage you to learn more about this program by visiting www.asbmr.org.

ASBMR 2008 Ballot to be Mailed Soon
The 2008 ASBMR ballot will be mailed in the coming weeks. Elected nominees will begin their terms in the fall of 2008. Voting for ASBMR Officers and Councilors is an important benefit of active membership, and we urge you to be on the look out for your ballot and return it promptly. Ballots must be received in the ASBMR Business Office no later than Monday, January 14, 2008.

Passport Notice to U.S. Citizens Attending Next Year's Annual Meeting
With the ASBMR Annual Meeting taking place outside the United States next year, the ASBMR reminds all U.S. citizens that they are required to have a valid U.S. Department of State issued passport to travel to and from Canada. With the U.S. government’s new, stricter requirements, the ASBMR encourages U.S. members without a passport to begin their application process early. For more information, please visit the government’s passport website at http://travel.state.gov. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to attend the premiere meeting in bone and mineral science!

Meetings

International Experts Target Bone Remodeling for the Treatment of Osteoporosis
ASBMR invites you to attend the upcoming ASBMR topical meeting, Targeting Bone Remodeling for the Treatment of Osteoporosis, being held December 6-7, 2007, in Washington, DC, USA. This two day meeting will explore evolving approaches and innovations that promise to improve the treatment of osteoporosis. Co-sponsors include the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Society for Nutrition, Foundation for Osteoporosis Research and Education, International Society for Clinical Densitometry, National Osteoporosis Foundation, Orthopaedic Research Society, Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation, The Endocrine Society, The Paget Foundation and U.S. Bone and Joint Decade

Haven’t registered yet? You still have time to take advantage of discounted rates if you pre-register before Thursday, November 15th. You won't want to miss this innovative scientific program.

Join us in Montréal for the 30th Annual Meeting
Help ASBMR celebrate its 30th Annual Meeting next fall—September 12-16, 2008, in Montréal, Québec, Canada. The abstracts submission deadline for next year's meeting is Wednesday, April 16, 2008. Stay tuned for more information and check the ASBMR website for the latest meeting updates, important deadlines, and general information.

The ASBMR 29th Annual Meeting at a Glance

Social Event attendees admire their hand-made flower bracelets, The Royal Hawaiian Hotel provided the perfect venue for the event which included Polynesian cultural activities.	Dr. Roland Baron uses visual aids during his Meet-The-Professor Session, “WNT Signaling, Scelostin and Bone Formation.”
Education Committee and Membership Development Committee Chairs Teresita Bellido, Ph.D. and Suzanne Jan de Beur, M.D., moderate “The ‘Ins and Outs’ of Research Funding” session.	Attendees discuss scientific findings in the ASBMR Poster Sessionsl. The Poster Sessions gave over 1,800 researchers the chance to showcase their science and findings.
An Annual Meeting attendee shows off his Hawaiian hula dancing skills during the Social Event.	Plenary presenter Aisha Shaikh discusses her research findings during the plenary poster session.
Attendees visited with numerous vendors in the Exhibit Hall. More than 67 exhibitors showcased their products and services at the Hawaii Convention Center.	Junior Investigators talk to NIH representatives during the New Investigator Breakfast. The event gave them a chance to ask specific questions about grants and NIH opportunities.
An attendee asks NIH representatives questions about the NIH grant review process during the session on “What Really Happens at Study Section?”	Raising their color-coded voting cards, attendees were able to actively participate in the “Debate: Excessive Suppression of Bone Remodeling by Antiresorptive Agents – Fact or Fiction?”

Committee Highlights

Women's Committee Event Testimonial
“I have been attending the ASBMR Women’s Committee event since it’s inaugural meeting in 2005. Each year the Event has provided me with the unique opportunity to meet and network with many of my fellow researchers and I am always inspired by the presentations given by the guest speaker. This guest speaker at the 29th Annual Meeting, Dr Diane Wara from the University of California, was no exception. She spoke about the issues of women in leadership and implementing institutional change for women, a topic of interest to both women and men alike. By sharing her experiences, Diane made me aware of the challenges that lie ahead in my research career, while inspiring me with the motivation and determination that will be required to succeed. Diane’s presentation generated a great deal of discussion with plenty of opportunity for other clinician and basic scientist attendants to share their experiences also. I look forward to next year’s meeting and Women’s Committee event.”
-Rachel Davey, PhD, University of Melbourne, Australia.

Members in the News

ASBMR Congratulates Members Achievements
ASBMR’s mission is to be the premier society in the field of bone and mineral metabolism through promoting excellence in bone and mineral research, fostering integration of clinical and basic science, and facilitating the translation of that science to health care and clinical practice. One way in which ASBMR supports its mission and promotes excellence is by recognizing outstanding members with prestigious awards. The ASBMR would like to congratulate each of the winners of our prestigious awards.

To view the recipients of all ASBMR awards, please visit the ASBMR website, www.asbmr.org.

NIH Grant Opportunities and Notices

The ASBMR is pleased to highlight the following announcements and grant opportunities from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH):

News
NIH-NASA Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in Space-Related Health Research: Need for More Bone Research Highlighted
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and NASA signed The Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in Space-Related Health Research, an agreement that will help American scientists utilize the International Space Station to answer questions about human health and disease. Scientists have long known that prolonged periods of time in space and weightlessness cause bones and muscles to weaken. This study will help further research to learn more about osteoporosis and other related bone diseases. At the September 12th signing, NIH Director Elias Zerhouni, M.D. spoke on this collaboration and its importance to bone research. The signing was followed by a small reception sponsored by the ASBMR. To learn more about this partnership between the NIH and NASA, please visit www.niams.nih.gov.

Scientists Examine Peak Bone Mass Timing and Body Fat Related to Bone Health
Two recent studies funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) are shedding light on the development of bone mass in children and adolescents. Focusing on two important issues in bone biology, the research suggests that bone mass may actually peak earlier than is currently believed, and that body fat does not contribute to bone strength. For more information, please visit www.niams.nih.gov.

NIAMS announces Bone Health CD ROM
http://www.niams.nih.gov/News_and_Events/Announcements/2007/bone_cd.asp

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) are announcing new budget guidelines and the option of multiple principal investigators for PAR-07-188, “Collaborative Interdisciplinary Research Program in Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases (R24).” For more details, please visit http://grants.nih.gov. Additionally, NIDDK will support investigator-initiated, multi-center clinical studies exclusively through a two part grant process. For more details and how to apply, please visit http://grants.nih.gov.

Notices
National Leadership Workshop on Mentoring Women in Biomedical Careers
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) is hosting the National Leadership Workshop on Mentoring Women in Biomedical Careers which will be held November 27-28, at the NIH Campus in Bethesda, MD, USA. This workshop brings together experts in mentoring from a variety of areas to discuss leadership strategies for successful mentoring in global biomedical research environments. This workshop will provide attendees with ways to support the future of women in biomedical careers.

For more information on this conference and to register, please visit http://womeninscience.nih.gov.

Requests for Applications:
Ancillary Studies in the Natural History of Acute Kidney Injury (U01) (RFA-DK-07-009)
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DK-07-009.html
Letters of Intent Receipt Date: November 26, 2007
Application Receipt Date(s): December 20, 2007

NIDDK Limited Competition for Continuation of the Prospective Study of Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (U01) Reissue of (RFA-DK-03-012)
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DK-07-501.html
Letters of Intent Receipt Date: November 14, 2007
Application Receipt Date December 11, 2007

For more information on how to apply for a grant or where to apply, please visit the ASBMR Website.

Calendar of Events

The ASBMR is pleased to highlight the following meetings of bone and mineral-related organizations. Information regarding any of the listed events may be obtained directly from the meeting organizers using the contact information provided below. For a complete list of upcoming events, please visit the ASBMR events page. Event listings are posted as a courtesy to our sister organizations. If you know of, or are organizing a scientific bone and mineral-related meeting that you would like included on the ASBMR Events Calendar, please e-mail the meeting details to ASBMR for consideration at asbmr@asbmr.org.

November 2007

November 25-28, 2007
National Osteoporosis Society
12th National Osteoporosis Society Conference on Osteoporosis
Edinburgh International Conference Centre
Edinburgh, UK
For more information, contact:
Telephone: 44 (0)1761 473106
Website: www.nos.org.uk
E-mail: s.phillips@nos.org.uk

December 2007

For a complete listing of events, please visit the ASBMR Events Calendar.