The CNS Medal honours an individual who has made an important contribution to the IOF Committee of National Societies (CNS) through active participation in CNS activities and by expanding IOF’s message and outreach at the local level.

Professor Jean-Yves Reginster, Chair of the CNS stated:

“It is my great honour to present this year’s CNS Medal to Dr. Famida Jiwa. As President and CEO of Osteoporosis Canada, she has led significant programs to improve osteoporosis awareness, education and patient care in her country. At the international level she has been Chair of the IOF CNS Sub-Committee of Patient Societies since 2011 and in that capacity has provided unstinting support and inspiration for IOF and its network of 260 member societies. Dr. Jiwa’s recent election to the IOF Board of Governance representing North America is further testimony to her commitment to bone health education and advocacy on behalf of people with osteoporosis worldwide.”   

Dr. Jiwa is President and CEO of Osteoporosis Canada. She holds a Master’s Degree in Health Administration from the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation from the University of Toronto, a Doctorate of Chiropractic from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto, as well as an Honours Bachelor of Science, Genetics and Psychology from the University of Toronto. Dr. Jiwa has also attained the designation of Certified Health Executive from the Canadian College of Health Service Executives, and in 2017 she completed the Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management program at Harvard Business School. Dr. Jiwa is the former Provincial Osteoporosis Co-ordinator charged with rolling out all aspects of the annual Ontario Osteoporosis Strategy and a former Program Consultant for the Acute Services Division of the Ministry of Health. She is currently a Board member of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), the Vice-chair of the IOF Committee of National Societies (CNS) and the Chair of the CNS Patient Societies Subcommittee. She is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.  

Upon accepting the Award, Dr. Jiwa stated: “Osteoporosis remains universally underdiagnosed and undertreated in all regions of the world. I firmly believe that by working together and learning from one another, as we do within the IOF Committee of National Societies, we can ultimately make change happen for the benefit of all patients with osteoporosis. It has been an honour and a privilege to work with the Foundation and the many dedicated individuals from member societies worldwide.”

The CNS, comprising 260 patient and medical societies and organizations in the health field, is IOF’s core membership committee. As a group it forms the world’s largest single network of national organizations dedicated to osteoporosis and musculoskeletal disorders. CNS societies are run by committed individuals who - often as volunteers – do invaluable work in raising public awareness and improving patient care at the national level. Their grassroots efforts in implementing IOF information campaigns locally have helped spread key prevention messages around the world.

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About the World Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis & Musculoskeletal Diseases (WCO-IOF-ESCEO)
Held jointly by IOF and ESCEO, the WCO-IOF-ESCEO annual congress is the world’s largest forum for the presentation of clinical research and new advances in the prevention and management of musculoskeletal disorders, including sarcopenia and frailty. WCO-IOF-ESCEO 2020 is held as a virtual Congress ( http://virtual.wco-iof-esceo.org/). The 2021 WCO-IOF-ESCO is planned in London, UK from April 8-11, 2021. For complete information visit www.wco-iof-esceo.org  #OsteoCongress

About IOF
The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) is the world's largest nongovernmental organization dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis and related musculoskeletal diseases. IOF members, including committees of scientific researchers as well as 260 patient, medical and research societies, work together to make fracture prevention and healthy mobility a worldwide heath care priority. https://www.osteoporosis.foundation  @iofbonehealth

About ESCEO
The European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO) is a non-profit organization, dedicated to a close interaction between clinical scientists dealing with rheumatic disorders, pharmaceutical industry developing new compounds in this field, regulators responsible for the registration of such drugs and health policy makers, to integrate the management of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis within the comprehensive perspective of health resources utilization. The objective of ESCEO is to provide practitioners with the latest clinical and economic information, allowing them to organize their daily practice, in an evidence-based medicine perspective, with a cost-conscious perception. www.esceo.org