London conference to highlight advances in bone and joint injury and repair

Arthritis is a debilitating and painful condition affecting nearly four and a half million Canadians, and the number is steadily climbing as our population ages.  It takes a huge toll on a person’s quality of life, and on our health budgets.  The cost of treating one of the most common forms, osteoarthritis, alone is expected to quadruple over the next two decades reaching $8.1 billion by the year 2031.

 

The role of inflammation in arthritis and cost-effective osteoarthritis care are two of the topics that will be covered in the 2014 Bone and Joint Injury Repair Conference taking place at the London Convention Centre on January 16th and 17th.   Organized by The Interdisciplinary Development Initiative in Bone & Joint Health at Western University, the conference has attracted 120 physicians and scientists from across Canada. In addition to diseases like arthritis, the conference will cover trauma injuries, orthopaedic surgery, imaging issues and the newest treatments to improve musculoskeletal health.

 

Some of the highlights include:
January 16
• 10:40 a.m., Dr. John Di Battista of McGill University and the role of inflammation in osteoathritis
• 2:00 p.m., Dr. Mark McLeod of London Health Sciences Centre discusses where is the future for research
• 7:00 p.m., keynote address –Andre Picard, health reporter, Globe and Mail newspaper, “Get Hip to the Benefits of Health Research”
January 17
• 2:05 p.m., Dr. Ed Harvey of McGill University on orthopaedic trauma research

 

“Bone and joint health is an impactful area of research, and fortunately we have a critical mass of researchers in London with collaborators across Ontario and Canada, advancing our knowledge,” says David Holdsworth, PhD, The Dr. Sandy Kirkley Chair in Musculoskeletal Research at Western and one of the conference organizers.  “A conference like this provides a great opportunity to share ideas and build new collaborations.”

 

For more details please go to www.boneandjoint.imaging.robarts.ca.  The conference is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and The Arthritis Society.

 

Shannon Woodhouse, Program Manager, The Dr. Sandy Kirkley Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, 519-661-2111 x34567  cell: 519-870-0461 (at the conference) shannon.woodhouse@schulich.uwo.ca