Researchers focus on health care challenge of the century

A virtual research institute, focusing on arthritis and musculoskeletal diseases, will be proposed for Queensland at a meeting of the State’s top research groups this weekend.

The event, to be hosted by the Queensland Division of The Bone and Joint Decade (Australia), is the first multidisciplinary meeting to be held in Queensland to celebrate “The Decade” – a major global initiative endorsed by the United Nations, WHO and supported by 44 international governments. Bone and Joint Decade National Co-ordinator, Professor Peter Brooks said he hoped one of the outcomes of the conference would be a consolidation of state efforts in the form of a virtual research institute for the state.

“I would like to see the establishment of an institute in Brisbane to draw together primary groups within universities and hospitals.”

Prof Brooks, the Executive Dean of The University of Queensland’s Health Sciences Faculty, said more than 600,000 Australians and more than 400 million people globally lived with crippling, chronic pain of joint diseases, osteoporosis, spine disorders and musculoskeletal trauma.

“The Bone and Joint Decade is a major global initiative to increase awareness, education and to promote research to combat musculoskeletal disorders, which are recognised as the chronic care challenge of the new century,” Prof Brooks said.

Local researchers across the spectrum of bone and joint disease will present their latest research at the Multidisciplinary Research Day on 19 October at the Prince Charles Hospital, including world leaders in the area of neck pain treatment and researchers working on groundbreaking new biomaterials to replace bone. Participants will include Prof Ross Crawford, Chair of Orthopedic Research at Queensland University of Technology, Associate Professor Ranjeny Thomas, of the Princess Alexander Hospital’s Rheumatology Unit, Dr Peter Nash, Chairman of the Queensland Bone and Joint Decade Committee and Associate Professor Gwen Jull of UQ’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.

The event is part of Bone and Joint Decade Action Week and is supported by Arthritis Queensland. For more information on the Bone and Joint Decade visit www.boneandjointdecade.org

For further information call Marlene McKendry on 0401 996847 or for interviews during the conference - Barbara O’Connor on 0419 712843.