Board members of the United States Bone and Joint Decade (USBJD), representing a broad spectrum of musculoskeletal professionals and patient advocacy organizations, met Tuesday, June 8, in the new Orthopedic Building at Rush University Medical Center. Chaired by current USBJD President, Dr. Joshua Jacobs, Chairman of Orthopaedic Surgery at Rush, the meeting was capped with a tour of the new Orthopedic Building and research laboratories.

The USBJD is a unique organization that exists to bring together the many specialties concerned with musculoskeletal disease, as well as patient groups. It focuses on programs that reflect concerns and opportunities for collaboration among the diverse specialties to lower the burden of musculoskeletal disease. Officially proclaimed by President George Bush just over eight years ago to address the significant, unrecognized, under-appreciated, and under-resourced burden of bone and joint diseases, the Decade is now in transition.

The meeting's focus was to decide on programs and activities to be developed over the next few years so that USBJD's efforts would continue. These programs and activities include: advocating for research funding, developing disease prevalence data, and promoting the integration of musculoskeletal medicine in medical schools. It also offers a number of public education programs (visit www.usbjd.org for more information). Rush faculty have long been active Decade participants, and continuing the USBJD link with Rush, Kimberly Templeton, MD, (Rush Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program, 1988-1994) was elected President-Elect at the meeting.