The European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO) and the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) have awarded the 2024 ESCEO-IOF Pierre Meunier Young Scientist Award to Dr Lakshmi Nagendra MD, Associate Professor at the Department of Endocrinology, JSS Medical college, JSS Academy of Higher education and Research, Mysore, India. 

The prestigious annual Award, which was presented on the occasion of the WCO-IOF-ESCEO 2024 Congress in London on April 13th, recognizes young investigators in the field who have demonstrated outstanding scientific merit early in their careers, prior to reaching a prominent academic position. The Award is named after the late Professor Pierre Meunier, a respected and distinguished clinician and scientist, who made major contributions to histomorphometry analysis and to calcium and vitamin D effects and strontium ranelate. He was an important mentor for numerous investigators who went on to become academic leaders.

Professor René Rizzoli, Chair of the ESCEO Scientific Advisory Board, noted: “We are delighted to present this esteemed award to Dr Nagendra in recognition of her significant research efforts and clinical endeavours. With passion and dedication, she is also involved in initiatives to advance endocrine research and awareness across India and South Asia. We hope that receiving the prestigious ESCEO-IOF Pierre Meunier Young Scientist Award will mark a significant milestone in what is sure to be a long and successful career as a thought-leader in the field.”

Dr Nagendra MD is Associate Professor at the Department of Endocrinology, JSS Medical college, JSS Academy of Higher education and Research, Mysore, India, and is founder of the Osteoporosis and Bone Metabolism Clinic at JSS University. Her research within the field of bone and mineral metabolism currently includes work on the optimisation of fracture prevention in India, on the cost-effectiveness of FRAX-based intervention thresholds for the management of osteoporosis in Indian women, and on patient preferences for the treatment of osteoporosis. She is a dedicated and active member of the Endocrine Society of India (ESI) and of the South Asian Federation of Endocrine Societies (SAFES) and has organized several important programs and campaigns, including the inaugural programs of the SAFES Women Endocrinologists’ Forum and the SAFES Youth Wing. Dr Nagendra has been awarded several prestigious awards among which are the ESI AV Gandhi Award for excellence in Endocrinology (2020), the ESI Yuvarathna Award (2023), the ‘Endocrinologist par excellence’ Award conferred by the Honourable Governor Madhya Pradesh, India (2023) and Best Research Paper awards by the Indian Society for Bone and Mineral Research in 2020 and 2024.  She is an editorial board member of Osteoporosis International. 

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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 osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, sarcopenia, and frailty. The WCO-IOF-ESCEO 2024 is being held from April 11-14, 2024 in London, UK. For complete information visit
https://www.wco-iof-esceo.org/    
The next WCO-IOF-ESCO is planned from April 10-13, 2025 in Rome, Italy.  

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 policymakers, 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. https://www.esceo.org/

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 more than 330 patient, medical and research organizations, work together to make fracture prevention and healthy mobility a worldwide healthcare priority. https://www.osteoporosis.foundation  @iofbonehealth