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Bone Health Roundtable: Importance of Women’s Bone Health Throughout the Lifespan
April 19, 2022 @ 1:30 pm - April 20, 2022 @ 4:00 pm EDT
April 19, 1:30 p.m.-4 p.m. — Bone Health Roundtable (Day 1)
April 20, 12:30 p.m.-4 p.m. — Bone Health Roundtable (Day 2)
Approximately 54 million Americans have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis – a condition in which bones become weak and brittle. Risk of bone fracture is higher in women compared to men, in part, because women tend to have smaller, thinner bones and due to the influence of estrogen – a hormone whose protective effects change throughout the life-course, especially after menopause. Bone mass is also affected by genetic and environmental factors such as ancestry, nutrition, and physical activity.
Breaking a bone is a serious complication of osteoporosis, and approximately half of all women over age 50 will break a bone because of osteoporosis. In older adults, complications related to a broken bone can be life threatening and result in a need for long-term nursing care. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, an estimated 50% of repeat fractures could be avoided with both cost- effective and well-tolerated treatments. Shifting from a reactive break-and-fix model to one that centers around predictive and preventive bone health and wellness could substantially decrease the clinical and public health burden of bone fractures and diseases.
As the nation’s thought leader in promoting research on biological sex differences in disease and improving women’s health through science, policy, and education, the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) convened an interdisciplinary Bone Health Working Group of health care providers, researchers, patient advocates, and policy leaders for a closed, roundtable meeting in April 2022. During the roundtable, the Working Group discussed scientific and policy issues in women’s bone health, including strategies for fracture prevention in at-risk women.
Roundtable Takeaways
Objectives
The objectives of this bone health roundtable are to:
- Address the impact of bone health on women’s health across the lifespan, with a special focus on osteoporosis and bone fracture;
- Review the state of science and develop strategies to address knowledge gaps and unmet needs related to bone health research and the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of bone-related conditions in women;
- Identify opportunities to leverage innovation, increase access to care, and reduce bone health disparities and disease burden for women;
- Develop materials to expand education and raise awareness about bone health and diseases for women, health care providers, and policy stakeholders.
Roundtable Participants
Ivy M. Alexander, PhD, APRN, ANP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, Professor & Director, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program, University of Connecticut
Robert Blancato, MPA, Executive Director, National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs (NANASP)
Felicia Cosman, MD, Professor of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Neville H. Golden, MD, Chief, Division of Adolescent Medicine, The Marron and Mary Elizabeth Kendrick Professor of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine
Cheryl Hostinak, Executive Director, American Bone Health
Deborah Mitsuko Kado, MD, MS, Professor of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine and GRECC Veterans Administration Health System
Nancy E. Lane, MD, Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Rheumatology, UC Davis School of Medicine
Keith J. Loud, MD, MSc, MMgmt, Chair of Pediatrics and Physician-in-Chief, Geisel School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth
Andrea P. Medeiros, MPH, CHES, Senior Director of Public Health & Policy, Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation
Sabrina E. Noel, PhD, RD, Assistant Professor, Director for Community Engagement, Center for Population Health, UMass Lowell
Rebekah Rotstein, NCPT, Founder & Creator, Buff Bones
Alana C. Serota, MD, CCFP, CCD, Ambulatory Care Physician, Department of Metabolic Bone Disease, Hospital for Special Surgery
Katherine Sharp, PhD, MPH, Associate Clinical Professor, University of Maryland, School of Public Health, Department of Behavioral & Community Health
Laura L. Tosi, MD, Director, Bone Health Program, Children’s National
Nicole Wright, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Sponsor
SWHR’s Bone Health Program is supported by educational sponsorships from Amgen and UCB. SWHR maintains editorial control and independence over educational content.
