The Lebanese Society of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disorders, OSTEOS, offered its third ISCD densitometry-certification course in Beirut, Lebanon, May 9-11, 2009.

The first course was held in 1999 as part of the Middle East Medical Assembly Meeting, a meeting that is organized annually by the American University of Beirut, and the second was organized in 2007 by OSTEOS. The current course was supported by the Lebanese Order of Physicians, the Lebanese Ministry of Health, and the World Health Organization-Lebanon office. There were 57 registrants for the clinician and technologist courses and 15 registrants for the VFA course. Attendees were awarded 12 CME credits for the densitometry course and 2 CME for the VFA course.

The faculty for the clinician and VFA courses were Sandford Baim, Didier Hans and Ghada El-Hajj Fuleihan, and for the technologist course Asma Arabi and Mark Antoine Krieg. Ms Rola El-Rassi, Ms Tala Ghalayini, and Ms Lina El- Onsi, from the Calcium Metabolism and Osteoporosis Program at the American University of Beirut, graciously ensured that the three days went smoothly and that everybody was happy. Pictures courtesy of Mr. Hasan Nisr.

The course received financial support from MESCO/Hologic, MSD, Servier Laboratories, Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly.