D.C./Baltimore region is home to pioneering center forodetection and prevention of bone loss, education of health care professionals, the public The "Osteoporosis Diagnostic & Monitoring Center"

Eight million American women and two million American men have osteoporosis, a major public health threat that causes spinal, vertebral and hip fractures and prolonged, permanent disability, or even death. Donna M. Landis, RN CDT, is a preeminent expert, educator, and forerunner in the education of health care professionals and the public about osteoporosis and the diagnosis and prevention of bone loss in women and men. Ms. Landis has distinguished herself as a colleague of the medical profession in a field where non-physicians are rarely found at that level of involvement and professional respect.

FORERUNNER IN HER FIELD, OSTEOPOROSIS DIAGNOSTIC & MONITORING CENTER OWNER AND CLINICAL DIRECTOR DONNA M. LANDIS, RN CDT, IS TIRELESS ADVOCATE FOR PATIENTS' RIGHTS, RECOGNIZED EXPERT IN THE FIELD

(Laurel, Md.) - Eight million American women and two million American men have osteoporosis, a major public health threat that causes spinal, vertebral and hip fractures and prolonged, permanent disability, or even death. Donna M. Landis, RN CDT, is a preeminent expert, educator, and forerunner in the education of health care professionals and the public about osteoporosis and the diagnosis and prevention of bone loss in women and men. Ms. Landis has distinguished herself as a colleague of the medical profession in a field where non-physicians are rarely found at that level of involvement and professional respect.    
      
Since 1985, Ms. Landis has developed and operated the "Osteoporosis Diagnostic & Monitoring Center" (ODMC) - the first independent center of its kind in the U.S. - as Clinical Director and senior Bone Densitometry Technologist. The ODMC is recognized as a national model for a free-standing osteoporosis diagnostic and research facility and the technical training of medical professionals, as well as patient and community education in the field of detection and prevention of osteoporosis. Ms. Landis is called upon as a consultant for hospitals and physicians in the start up of new centers. In 1997 the Center was designated the "Center of Excellence for Osteoporosis Diagnosis" in the State of Maryland. Also in 1997, ODMC was named as one of the 50 specialist sites in the U.S. involved in the prestigious nationwide National Osteoporosis Risk Assessment (N.O.R.A.) Program.

In 1995, Ms. Landis acquired ownership of the ODMC. ODMC's services include diagnostic and screening DEXA scanning, exercise counseling, osteoporosis prevention counseling and educational resource materials.

In 1993, Ms Landis' was selected to serve with six physicians as sole technologist on a team to develop a national medical society, The International Society of Clinical Densitometry (ISCD). Since 1997, she has served on the technologist education committee, to develop a certification course in bone densitometry recognized internationally. The ISCD is a multidisciplinary, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing a central resource for a number of scientific disciplines with an interest in bone mass measurement.

Ms. Landis has been a tireless advocate for the rights of the female patient, specifically, the legal rights of the osteoporosis patient. She has taken her advocacy all the way to the Maryland legislature, having worked successfully to get legislation passed for mandatory, limited reimbursement for bone density testing. Ms. Landis actively worked with Sen. Marilyn     Goldwater (Md. Rep) and committee members for the successful passage of Maryland House Bill #155 - "The Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment Education Act". She has also worked on the national level in support of legislative issues relating to osteoporosis with the National Osteoporosis Foundation and the International Society for Clinical Densitometry.    

Fueled by her strong belief that women must take responsibility for their health, and her more than 15 years of work in the field of bone disease, Ms. Landis is committed to a greater public awareness of osteoporosis. Ms. Landis has impacted her world by educating not only older women, but also adult men and women of all ages, about the risk factors, prevention,. diagnosis and treatment options for osteoporosis. She has developed an educational speaker's bureau for outreach to the medical and lay community that emphasizes lifestyle changes involved with the disease process and how to effect prevention and/or stabilization. She has also developed customized educational/screening programs for employer groups and community organizations. She organized and facilitates an osteoporosis awareness/support group, dedicated to informational resources for premenopausal women and peer support for postmenopausal women.

   Since 1992, Ms. Landis also has been actively involved in clinical research trials, focusing on osteoporosis and women's health. In 1996, Ms. Landis partnered with James A. Simon, M.D. to establish the Women's Health Research Center (WHRC), an independent investigative site dedicated to clinical research on issues affecting primarily women. Dr. Simon is the former Director or the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology at Georgetown University Medical Center, and is currently Clinical Professor of Obstetrics/Gynecology at Georgetown Washington University Medical School.

WHRC, which is also located in Laurel, Maryland, currently has 20 active clinical protocols (and 80 completed clinical trials) with grants from pharmaceutical sponsors, device manufacturers, as well as the NIH. WHRC's research spans both traditional medical and holistic approaches to issues affecting women. The WHRC also provides bone density interpretation services to physicians at off-site facilities.

For more information visit www.odmcenter.com.
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