Odense International Forum XII
We are delighted to invite you to Denmark to participate in the 12th International Forum on Back Pain Research in Primary Care that will be held in Odense, Denmark from 16 to 19 October, 2012.
Odense is the third largest city in Denmark with a population of around 200,000 and is home to the University of Southern Denmark's main campus. Odense is easily accessible from Copenhagen airport and situated on the beautiful island of Funen. The culture is lively and young, due to a large student population.
Back pain and poor musculoskeletal health are increasingly recognized as a national priority in many countries. This is not only because these conditions are prevalent and costly, but also because a healthy back and musculoskeletal system are prerequisites for the active lifestyle found to be so strongly linked to longevity and a good quality of life. For many people, back pain starts early in life with functional limitations due to pain and disability in the spine often remaining with them till the end of life. For this reason, we will prioritise the life course perspective under the conference themes.
2012 marks the 25th anniversary of Gordon Waddell's landmark paper on the biopsychosocial model in back pain. Therefore, a prominent theme at this conference will be the 'silver-anniversary status' of the biopsychosocial model and whether we have achieved the right balance in research and patient care.
A principal challenge for researchers is to inform policy debate and evidence-based decision-making by delivering relevant high-quality research that identifies what works for whom and why, under which circumstances, and at what cost. Determining better ways of answering these questions may require innovative methodologies and research designs. The Forum is an ideal place to discuss how to do this best and to share the latest findings and ideas with peers in an open interdisciplinary spirit of challenge and exchange.
We are proud to carry on this fine tradition in 2012 in Odense – the birthplace of the well-known fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen - and invite you to join us in transforming the ugly duckling of back pain into a beautiful swan.
Jan Hartvigsen and Peter Kent
Chairs local organizing and scientific committees
