Message from ASBMR President Mary L. Bouxsein, Ph.D. – January 26, 2023
Dear Colleagues:
Happy New Year! I wanted to use this month’s letter to update you on several ASBMR initiatives.
ASBMR Fund For Research & Education
Thank you to everyone that contributed to the ASBMR Fund for Research & Education during our end-of-year fundraising drive. I am pleased to announce that 2022 donations to the fund surpassed $28,000; THANK YOU. The Fund for Research and Education is entirely supported by individual donations and these donations are used exclusively to provide research grants and training opportunities for basic and clinical researchers as well as allied health professionals specializing in the bone, mineral, and musculoskeletal field.
If you missed our 2022 campaign, no worries, be one of the first to give to the Fund in the new year by using the online donation form.
Career-Life Balance Initiative
Earlier this month, the Society announced the recipients of our inaugural Career-Life Balance Initiative which supports female members by providing supplemental funding to ensure the continuity of their research during early child-rearing years. The pilot program, developed by the Women in Bone and Mineral Research Committee, provides five members with funding that will support the advancement of their careers in the musculoskeletal field during this challenging time. Congratulations to the awardees:
- Elizabeth Curtis BMBCh, Ph.D.
- Shawon Debnath, Ph.D.
- Sherry Liu, Ph.D.
- Lauren Surface, Ph.D.
- Jialiang Wang, Ph.D.
Leadership Education for Advancement (LEAD) Program
I am delighted to report that registration for our inaugural LEAD program exceeded expectations with over 40 members signing up for the 2023 cohort, including ~1/3 international members. Held throughout the year, the program will include presentations on relevant leadership topics, with additional peer-networking sessions facilitated by senior ASBMR members. This year’s program culminates with a reception at the 2023 ASBMR Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada. The goal of this initiative is to build leadership skills that will provide ASBMR members with key skills needed to be successful independent investigators and leaders in the field.
February 16-17 Virtual Hill Day
On February 16 and 17, ASBMR and the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF) are collaborating to host a Virtual Hill Day event. This event aims to realize US Medicare reimbursement for Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) in 2023. We need the help of US members to achieve this important goal by meeting with their members of Congress and urging them to contact the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS - the federal agency that oversees Medicare) and include FLS coverage in the 2024 Physician Fee Schedule.
ASBMR will provide you with training, talking points, materials and support for these meetings and it’s a great, impactful volunteer experience!
To volunteer for Virtual Hill Day, please visit the ASBMR website.
Finally, our Society depends on the support and engagement of our entire global community. If you have not done so already, please renew your ASBMR membership for 2023. To make renewing easier in the future, we are now offering a discounted three-year membership as well as the ability to opt-in to annual auto-renewal.
Sincerely,
Mary L. Bouxsein, Ph.D.
ASBMR President