Letter from ASBMR President Suzanne Jan De Beur, M.D.

January 14, 2021

Dear Colleagues:

I want to wish each of you a Happy New Year! I look ahead excitedly to what 2021 will bring, I wanted to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for your continued support throughout the past trying and challenging year.

2020 wasn’t the year we expected it to be. Our scientific community navigated a constantly shifting landscape—with an ongoing pandemic, social protests and a divisive U.S. election—the past year has impacted our institutions, communities, neighbors, families and personal lives.

What amazed me through 2020 was the ability of our membership to come together to support one another, truly embracing our “One Global ASBMR Family”, albeit in a new virtual world. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each and every volunteer leader, member, and staff person who ensured the success of ASBMR this past year and highlight just some of the Society’s 2020 achievements. A more comprehensive list is in production and will be shared in a separate communication very soon.

•  3,341 registrants from over 60 different countries (+16 new countries from 2019) participated in the ASBMR 2020 Annual Meeting – Virtual Event
• 61% of 2020 Annual Meeting abstracts submitted by young investigators—a 10% increase over 2019
• 3,111 active members in 2020 (+2% from 2019), the highest membership total since 2016
• More than $500,000 in award and grant funding provided to ASBMR members
• Over $40,000 in donations to the ASBMR Fund for Research and Education

ASBMR remains committed to continuously expanding the value of membership and 2021 will be no different. This year we will be launching our first ever podcast that will highlight expert voices, scientific advancements, and hot topics impacting the global bone, mineral, and musculoskeletal field. We will also continue to expand our year-round education content which will not only include programming on the latest basic, clinical and translational advances in the field, but career development and other topics as well.

The Society also remains committed to the continuation of numerous, popular programs, including: the 2021 Rising Star Awards, the 2021 Phoebe Leboy Professional Development Awards, and the 2021 Fellow of the ASBMR Nominations. Our 2021 Volunteer Leadership Nominations will also open later this month and I encourage members to apply for one of our numerous volunteer opportunities.

I am excited to share these benefits of ASBMR membership with you. Remember, in order to take advantage of these offerings and many more, you must be a current member. We greatly value your support and engagement and thank you for your commitment to us in 2020. We ask that you continue to be a part our community and commit to making ASBMR your scientific home in 2021 and beyond. If you have not yet renewed your membership for 2021, I encourage you to visit the ASBMR website to do so.  As a special offer to current members, you can now sign up for our discounted three-year renewal option. If you have any membership questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us or contact asbmr@asbmr.org.

Sincerely,

Suzanne Jan de Beur, MD
ASBMR President