History

The Partnership for Progress in Bone Health was created as a response to the call to action of the October 2004 Report of the Surgeon General. The Report, the first of its kind regarding bone health and osteoporosis, finds that the bone health status of much of America is in jeopardy and will continue to worsen unless there is a major shift in public health practice.

Sponsors and Supporters

Co-Sponsors

• National Committee for Quality Assurance
  The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is a private, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and manages the evolution of HEDIS^®, the performance measurement tool used by more than 90 percent of the nation’s health plans. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web and the media in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.
  
• CME Consultants, Inc.
  CME Consultants, Inc., is a Rhode Island-based firm, nationally accredited to provide continuing education to physicians, physician assistants, nurses and pharmacists and to help health care providers improve performance and patient care. CME Consultants, Inc., has been nationally accredited through the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) since 1994.

Joint Sponsor

• Educational Awareness Solutions
  Educational Awareness Solutions (EAS) is a division of the Norwalk, CT-based Suasion Group, LLC. EAS brings together health care companies, professional groups, and thought leaders to create seamless multidimensional CME/CE learning experiences for physicians, nurses, pharmacists and allied health care professionals.

Supporter

• Merck & Co., Inc.
  Established in 1891, Merck & Co., Inc. is a global, research-driven pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets vaccines and medicines in over 20 therapeutic categories.

Advisory Board

Participants in “Partnership for Progress in Bone Health” included national experts committed to the study, understanding and improvement of bone health in the individual and in society as a whole. Panelists include:

• Judith Andariese, RN, Director of the Osteoporosis Prevention Center at Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY (bio)
  
• M. Susan Burke, MD, FACP, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and Director of the Internal Medicine Clinical Care Center at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, PA (bio)
  
• Steven R. Cummings, MD, FACP, Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Assistant Dean for Clinical Research, School of Medicine, Director, UCSF Coordinating Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA (bio)
  
• John D. Kaufman, MD, President, Osteoporosis Interest Group, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, Osteoporosis and Sports Medicine, Santa Clarita, CA (bio)
  
• Ellen Miller, MD, FACE, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Franklin Hospital Medical Center, Valley Stream, NY (bio)
  
• Kathleen C. Mudd, MBA, RN, Vice President, Product Delivery, National Committee for Quality Assurance, Washington, DC
  
• Eric D. Newman, MD, Director of Rheumatology and Vice Chairman for the Division of Medicine for the Geisinger Healthcare System, Danville, PA (bio)
  
• Anthony I. Sebba, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, and Rheumatology Clinical Practice, Palm Harbor, FL (bio)