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Society History

What used to be known as the Parathyroid Conferences took place as a triennial event from 1960 to 1977. The aim of these meetings, amplified by the publication of extensive proceedings, was primarily to present data and theories related to the two main hormones controlling calcium metabolism and bone physiology, namely parathyroid hormone and calcitonin.

With the increasing success of the meetings and the widening of their interests (that included vitamin D and the rapidly expanding field of cellular and molecular biology, not to mention the awareness about and studies on osteoporosis), a more elaborated structure was incorporated in 1980 under the name the International Conferences on Calcium Regulating Hormones (ICCRH).

It was governed by a Board of Directors elected by the conferees attending the meetings. By registering to one of the conferences, one became member of the organization for the three-year interval between meetings. Besides voting privileges, advantages included discount fees for meeting registrations and subscriptions to two publications, the Bone and Mineral journal and the Bone and Mineral Research Monographs.

The increasing number of participants at the successive conferences, that culminated in 1989 with the first Joint Meeting with the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, was the measure of the success of the enterprise. With it came the distinct feeling that despite the three-year intervals between meetings, the group was evolving into a Society. Thus, the Board of Directors made the point to meet as often as possible on the occasion of other meetings, and launched new initiatives: instructional courses in various countries, the granting of honorary membership to prominent retiring colleagues and the reorganization of the publication activities.

The new journal BONE, resulting from the merger of the two journals Bone and Mineral and BONE, became a monthly publication and the official journal of the Society. To further stress this healthy evolution, at the 1995 meeting in Melbourne, the name of the organization was changed to the International Bone and Mineral Society (IBMS).

In early 1998, as members and Board of Directors saw IBMS grow and flourish, the leadership met for a strategic planning retreat to critically review internal and external factors affecting IBMS now and in the future, completely reevaluate the structure, the organization and its vision, mission and goals and to give it a new direction.

Recognizing that the organization's greatest need was for a full-time, professional infrastructure capable of driving the society's programs IBMS contracted with Smith, Bucklin & Associates, Inc, the world's premier association management company and provider of strategic professional services, to take over the management of the organization.

 

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International Bone and Mineral Society (IBMS)
2025 M Street, NW, Suite 800 - Washington, DC 20036-3309 USA
Phone: (+1/202) 367-1121 Fax: (+1/202)367-2121 Email: