Welcome

We are delighted to announce that the 11th International Forum on Low-Back Pain Research in Primary Care will take place in Melbourne, Australia, 15th to 18th March, 2011. Melbourne is consistently ranked one of the most liveable cities in the world and is recognised as Australia's 'sporting and cultural’ capital. It is a lively, sophisticated city packed with shops, restaurants, bars and cafes in wide, leafy boulevards and tiny, atmospheric laneways. It is also an ideal vantage point for exploring the rest of the country.

The first Forum ‘down-under’ comes at a time of increasing international acceptance of the imperative of evidence informed policymaking and widespread national interest in engaging in real debate about whether back pain should become a National Health Priority Area. This will be an exciting back drop for Forum XI. Integration of back pain into a National Health Priority framework has many potential benefits. A whole of system approach could mean more systematic development and implementation of programs aimed at minimising back pain-related disability by providing a focus for policy, legislation and public awareness; and widespread but targeted promotion of best-practice management of the condition. In this context, a key challenge for clinicians, researchers and policy makers is not only to identify what works, under what circumstances, for whom and why, but also to determine how much difference it really makes and at what cost. Forum XI will expose the key issues and make important steps towards long term solutions. We look forward to welcoming you to Melbourne to participate in Forum XI and invite you to enjoy our informal style of hospitality.

Rachelle Buchbinder
Chair, Local Organizing Committee
Low Back Pain Forum XI


Interested persons should contact the Forum XI Conference Manager, Jenny Crofts at jennycrofts@ozemail.com.au : Phone +61 3 9429 2140 : Fax +61 3 9421 1682

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