November 19, 2020
PRESS RELEASE
TORONTO, November 19, 2020 – Dr. Earl Bogoch has been appointed the inaugural holder of the Brookfield Chair in Fracture Prevention.
Dr. Famida Jiwa, President & CEO, Osteoporosis Canada is pleased to announce that Dr. Earl Bogoch has been appointed the inaugural holder of the Brookfield Chair in Fracture Prevention. This University of Toronto chair, a global first of its type, has been established at the University of Toronto and St. Michael’s Foundation through the generosity of Brookfield Partners Foundation, which provided a $3 million grant. Dr. Bogoch was appointed after a Faculty search process.
“This is truly a ground-breaking milestone for osteoporosis diagnosis and fracture prevention care in Canada,” said Dr. Famida Jiwa. “Working in collaboration with our partners and Dr. Bogoch we are certain that our organization’s vision of a Canada free of osteoporotic fractures is possible.”
Dr. Bogoch, an orthopaedic surgeon at St. Michael’s Hospital and Professor in the Department of Surgery, said: “The new Brookfield Chair provides an exciting avenue to advance fracture prevention programs into the 7 provinces and 3 territories in Canada where none yet exist. Every year 130,000 Canadians sustain serious fragility fractures, including 30,000 hip fractures and only 20% of them receive the necessary treatment they need to prevent the next catastrophic fracture. I am honoured to be appointed The Brookfield Chair in Fracture Prevention, and excited to enhance our partnership with Osteoporosis Canada to fulfil their vision of a Canada without osteoporotic fractures.”
Dr. Bogoch, a Canadian and world pioneer in fracture prevention, initiated his fracture prevention activities at Wellesley Hospital, Toronto, in 1995, based on a realization that older patients treated in his fracture clinic for fragility fractures were at high risk of future devastating hip fractures, and should receive preventive interventions. After initial studies and early publications describing the care gap, he initiated a comprehensive fracture liaison program in 2002, in collaboration with scientists and clinical colleagues at St. Michael’s Hospital. After obtaining support from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care in 2006 he assisted OC and other stakeholders establish a province-wide Fracture Clinic Screening and Prevention Program, which now operates in 36 hospitals in Ontario and has intervened with over 100,000 patients.
With Dr. Joanna Sale, he co-leads an MOHLTC-funded research and evaluation group that monitors this program which is headed by Mr. Ravi Jain at OC, for iterative improvements. The programs he and his collaborators lead have won national and international awards. Dr. Bogoch has been awarded the Presidential Award of Merit for Outstanding Contributions from the Canadian Orthopaedic Association for his work in fracture prevention, and he has published 80 peer-reviewed publications in the field, many of them highly cited. Dr. Bogoch has been an active member of Osteoporosis Canada’s Scientific Advisory Council serving on its many committees including the executive committee and most recently its development committee. In 2013, Dr. Bogoch was awarded the Lindy Fraser Award as chosen by his peers.
In an interview, Dr. Bogoch expressed enthusiasm for the novel role of a Chair in Fracture Prevention. “The establishment of a world first university chair is overdue – it will confirm the evolution of fracture prevention beyond program development into an academic subject in its own right. We will establish graduate scholarships to promote the work of young scientists in improving health service delivery and to design the fracture prevention programs of tomorrow. The Chair will collaborate with Osteoporosis Canada and local experts to promote and fund the establishment of fracture liaison programs in jurisdictions that are lagging behind the three Canadian provinces who now have functioning programs. The resources of the Chair will also enable enhancement of the research work my collaborators and I are doing in iteratively improving how we do fracture prevention, how we inform people at risk how to protect themselves, and augmenting our information sharing with colleagues in Canada and around the world.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Tracie Napoli
Director, Fund Development & MARCOM
Osteoporosis Canada
tnapoli@osteoporosis.ca
416-696-2663 / 1-800-463-6842 ext. 2286
ABOUT OSTEOPOROSIS CANADA
Osteoporosis Canada is the only national organization serving people affected by osteoporosis. The organization works to educate, empower and support individuals and communities on bone health and in the risk-reduction and treatment of osteoporosis.
Commonly referred to as the “silent thief,” osteoporosis is an incurable disease that can cause bones to weaken over time, without any signs or symptoms leading to increased risk of breaking a bone.
Osteoporosis Canada provides medically accurate information to patients, health care professionals and the public. The organization has established clinical practice guidelines and long-term care and exercise recommendations. The Scientific Advisory Council (SAC) is made up of experts in osteoporosis and bone metabolism and is a volunteer membership. Comprised of clinicians, researchers and educators, the SAC advises Osteoporosis Canada’s board and staff on scientific and medical issues.
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