Description This application requests support for the annual meeting of the Sun Valley Workshop on Skeletal Biology held in Sun Valley, Idaho, August 9-12, 2009. The Sun Valley Workshops have a 35+ year tradition and originally grew out of an attempt to provide multidisciplinary training to younger scientists. The Workshops continue to emphasize active participation of junior faculty and students. The Workshops have been successful in promoting interdisciplinary communication, and are unusual in that discussion time equals or exceeds time allotted for formal presentation. The goals of the Workshop are to (1) work toward a multidisciplinary basic and clinical synthesis of molecular, tissue and biomechanical processes related to the pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of bone and joint diseases;(2) develop a dialogue between basic and clinical investigators;(3) provide training workshops for junior faculty and students that help bridge the gaps between disciplines;(4) provide a forum for student training and the opportunity for junior faculty and students to talk with more senior scientists in a small group setting. A partnership between the Workshop and the International Bone and Mineral Society (IBMS) will improve marketing of the Workshop, especially internationally, and provide maximum visibility through IBMS BoneKEy broadcast emails and links on the IBMS website. We expect it also to provide greater support for young investigator awards. The 39th Sun Valley Workshop will include sessions on Bone and Cancer, Osteoimmunology and Bone Marrow, Skeletal Development and Regeneration, Mechanobiology of Muscle and Bone, as well as a Tutorial on The Design, Development and Application of siRNAs'The Monday evening session is set aside for presentations by six ASBMR/Harold M. Frost Young Investigator Awardees. A Plenary lecture by Dr. Graham Russell on Sunday is followed by a poster session and wine and cheese reception. There are plans to advertise and distribute a summary of the workshop, partly using Web-based resources and through publication in BoneKEy.
Public Health Relevance Statement This Workshop is relevant to public health concerns because it brings a multi-disciplinary group of senior and junior scientists together to discuss the pathogenesis and treatment of osteoporosis, osteoarthrosis, and muscle sarcopenia and metabolic bone diseases associated with regulation of energy metabolism and fat in the skeleton. It provides vertically-oriented information, from the basic science to clinical pathology, to practitioners and scientists who may not be completely familiar with all aspects of these diseases of public health concern.
