Quality Bone Densitometry for Clinicians and Technologists Course
Technologists (2 days)- April 5-6 | Physicians (1 day) – April 6 | Le Westin Montreal
The Canadian panel of the International Society for Clinical Densitometry (ISCD) will be presenting this course, an International Course of the ISCD, for technologists and physicians involved in performing and reporting Bone Mineral Densitometry studies.
The Quality Bone Densitometry for Clinicians and Technologists course by the ISCD presents the state of the art for skeletal health assessment by leading national faculty. Advances in the diagnosis and monitoring of osteoporosis and fracture risk assessment are presented. An advanced curriculum will be presented for both physicians and technologists providing the tools for achieving excellence in skeletal health assessment including optimal BMD scan acquisition, interpretation, reporting and application of DXA technology. Common pitfalls in interpretation will be reviewed. The clinical utility of bone densitometry and quality assurance of this modality will be reviewed.
NEW – This course will include a joint session on the latest BMD guideline updates from the Canadian Association of Radiologists and Osteoporosis Canada.
- CAR Practice Guideline on Bone Mineral Densitometry Reporting: 2024 Update
- Clinical practice guideline for management of osteoporosis and fracture prevention in Canada: 2023 update
Dates:
- Technologist course (2 days): Saturday April 5 & Sunday April 6 2025
- Physician course (1 day): Sunday April 6 2025
Location:
The course is being offered in conjunction with the Canadian Association of Radiologists 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) at Le Westin Montreal, 270 Saint-Antoine Ouest, Montréal, QC, H2Y 0A3.
Rooms: TBC
Target Audience:
Dual track content has been designed for physicians including radiologists, nuclear medicine physicians and medical specialists as well as technologists.
Learning Objectives Physician Course:
- Describe appropriate clinical evaluation of patients at risk for fragility fracture.
- Summarize the value and importance of quality bone densitometry for the diagnosis of osteoporosis, assessment of fracture risk, and monitoring of BMD.
- Recognize errors in DXA analysis and reporting.
- Explain new and emerging guidelines that provide evidence-based information regarding skeletal health.
- Describe the use of current and new pharmacologic therapies for the management and treatment of osteoporosis, including adverse effects.
Physician Course Accreditation
Credit Hour Statement:
This activity is an Accredited Group Learning Activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and approved by Dalhousie University Continuing Professional Development and Medical Education. You may claim a maximum of 7.25 hours (credits are automatically calculated).
Complete accreditation statements can be found here.
Learning Objectives Technologist Course:
- Understand the updated Canadian guidelines for management of osteoporosis and fracture prevention, and for BMD reporting.
- Design and implement quality control and assurance practices.
- Perform a precision assessment and appreciate the requirement for clinical care.
- Identify the anatomy relevant to clinical DXA scanning.
- Implement consistent and appropriate technical acquisition and analysis techniques.
- Perform a fracture risk assessment.
- Provide DXA interpreters sufficient information for a high-quality DXA report.
- Discuss supplemental software and their application.
- Demonstrate how to access features within the DXA software.
- Understand how specific medical conditions and medications affect bone density.
- Critically evaluate DXA scans to identify acquisition and analysis errors and implement resolution methods.
- Recognize how technical errors impact clinical interpretation and patient care.
Technologist Course Accreditation
This activity is accredited for 15.50 Category A credits (for full attendance) by CAMRT for use by technologists
Registration Pricing – In-Person
| Registration Category | Course Rate |
|---|---|
| Technologist – CAMRT Member (2 days – April 5 & 6)) | $300 |
| Technologist – Non-Member (2 days – April 5 & 6) | $350 |
| Physician (1 day – April 6) | $425 |
See the cancellation policy here
Faculty
Technologist Stream
Ms. Anita Colquhoun, RTNM, MRT(N), CDT
Charge Technologist, Centre for Osteoporosis & Bone Health, Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, Canada
Anita Colquhoun RTNM, MRT(N), CDT is the Team Lead in the Centre for Osteoporosis and Bone Health Women’s College Hospital, Toronto. She graduated as a Nuclear Medical Technologist with a specialty in Bone Mineral Density (BMD) and has been working in the field since the early 1990s. An active member of the ISCD Technologist Faculty since 2000 having served four terms on the Governing Board of the ISCD including serving as Secretary and Treasurer of the Board, and as chair of the ISCD Annual Meeting Committee from 2012 through to 2016. Anita was an Expert Panelist for the 2023 ISCD Position Development Conference, she is current Chair of the Quality Bone Densitometry Technologist Course Committee, faculty for the International BDC Technologist Course, and a member of the ISCD Education Council and Canadian Regional Panel. She has participated in a variety of research studies as well as co-authoring abstracts and papers, co-writer for the on-line beginner BMD course and developed a competency profile and best practice in BMD for the Ontario Association of Medical Radiation Sciences.
Ms. Diana Yau, MRT(N), CDT
Bone Density Technologist, Center of Excellence in Skeletal Health Assessment, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Canada
Diana Yau M.R.T(N), CDT is a bone density technologist in the Centre of Excellence in Skeletal Health Assessment at University Health Network in Toronto. Diana has been working in the field of BMD since early 2004. She serves as a member of the ISCD Canadian panel and has participated in a variety of research studies, webinar presentations and case studies.
Physician Stream
Dr. William D. Leslie, MD, FRCPC, MSc, CCD
Professor of Medicine and Radiology, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, St-Boniface General Hospital, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Dr. Leslie is Professor of Medicine and Radiology at the University of Manitoba with over 600 peer-reviewed publications. His research interests are in fracture risk assessment, osteoporosis testing and nuclear medicine. He is Past President of the International Society for Clinical Densitometry, Past Chair of the Osteoporosis Canada Scientific Advisory Council, and Director of the Manitoba Bone Density Program.
Dr. Sandra A Kim, MD, CCD
Associate Professor and Clinician Teacher, Department of Medicine and Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
Dr. Sandra Kim is a staff physician at Women’s College Hospital where she is the current Division Head of Endocrinology and past Medical Director of the Osteoporosis Program. Her clinical and academic focus is on osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease. She was the past chair of the Scientific Advisory Council for Osteoporosis Canada, and the current chair of their guidelines committee. She led the pharmacotherapy working group for the 2023 Clinical Practice Guideline update in osteoporosis management and is the recipient of several awards. Dr. Kim is involved with the Ontario Osteoporosis Strategy in providing osteoporosis care to underserviced communities via telemedicine and serves on the Canadian panel for the International Society for Clinical Densitometry.
Dr. Steven Burrell, MD, CCD
Professor, Nuclear Medicine Section Head, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Dalhousie University, QEII Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Dr. Steven Burrell is head of Nuclear Medicine at the QEII Health Sciences Centre and a Professor of Radiology at Dalhousie University, in Halifax Nova Scotia. His clinical and research interests include imaging of osteoporosis, cancer, and heart disease. He chaired the committee developing the 2024 CAR Bone Mineral Density (BMD) reporting guideline, and is involved in initiatives in BMD and fracture risk with Osteoporosis Canada and the International Society for Clinical Densitometry.
Agenda
Prerequisites: Technologists and Physicians:
Participants will be required to view 2 lectures prior to attending the course. Details and links will be sent out to all registered participants before the course.
- Lecture A – Overview of Osteoporosis
- Lecture B – Fundamentals of Bone Densitometry, Physics, Radiation Safety, and Quality Assurance
Saturday April 5 (Day 1): Technologist Course
| TIME | SESSIONS – Presenters Anita Colquhoun & Diana Yau |
|---|---|
| 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Welcome & Elements of DXA Quality Assurance & Maintenance |
| 10:15 AM – 10:30AM | Break |
| 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM | Precision Assessment & Components of a DXA Practice |
| 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Lumbar Spine Scans- Elements Critical to Quality |
| 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM | Lunch |
| 1:30 PM – 2:20 PM | Femur Scans- Elements critical to Quality |
| 2:20 PM – 2:50 PM | Forearm Scans- Elements critical to Quality |
| 2:45 PM- 3:00 PM | Break |
| 3:00 PM – 3:50 PM | Scan Interpretation & Fracture Risk Assessment |
| 3:50 PM – 4:40 PM | Supplemental DXA Applications |
| 4:40 PM – 5:30 PM | Application of DXA Tools & Software Features |
Sunday April 6: Physician & Technologist (Day 2) Combined AM Course
| TIME | SESSIONS* |
|---|---|
| 9:00 AM – 9:10 AM | Introduction and Welcome |
| 9:10 AM – 10:25 AM | Canadian Osteoporosis and BMD Guidelines Update – Sandra Kim, Osteoporosis Canada – Steven Burrell, Canadian Association of Radiologists |
| 10:25 AM – 10:35 AM | Break |
| 10:35 AM – 12:05 PM | Principles of Quality DXA Scan Acquisition, Analysis and Interpretation: – Steven Burrell – Anita Colquhoun |
| 12:05 PM – 1:00 PM | Lunch |
*There will be a 15 minute discussion period at the end of each talk.
Sunday April 6 (Day 2): Technologist PM Course
| TIME | SESSIONS – Presenters Anita Colquhoun & Diana Yau |
|---|---|
| 1:00 PM – 1:50 PM | Clinical Management of the Osteoporotic Patient |
| 1:50 PM – 2:50 PM | Technical Cases |
| 2:50 PM – 3:05 PM | Break |
| 3:05 PM – 4:00 PM | Clinical Application |
| 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Q & A |
Sunday April 6: Physician PM Course
| TIME | SESSIONS* |
|---|---|
| 1:00 PM – 1:55 PM | Principles of DXA Reporting: – William Leslie |
| 1:55 PM – 2:50 PM | Assessing Fracture Risk: – William Leslie |
| 2:50 PM – 3:05 PM | Break |
| 3:05 PM – 4:00 PM | Monitoring Treatment of Osteoporosis – William Leslie |
| 4:00 PM – 4:55 PM | Diagnosis of Osteoporosis: – Sandra Kim |
| 4:55 PM – 5:50 PM | Case Review** – Steven Burrell |
*There will be a 15 minute discussion period at the end of each talk.
** This session will be entirely interactive.
Developed By:
The ISCD Canadian Regional Panel have developed content that will be included in the course for local Canadian practice.
Endorsed By:
The following organizations have kindly lent their support, helping to share course details with their networks.
Physician Accreditation Statements
Credit Hour Statement:
This activity is an Accredited Group Learning Activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and approved by Dalhousie University Continuing Professional Development and Medical Education. You may claim a maximum of 7.25 hours (credits are automatically calculated).
Through an agreement between the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the American Medical Association, physicians may convert Royal College MOC credits to AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Information on the process to convert Royal College MOC credit to AMA credit can be found at: edhub.ama-assn.org/pages/applications.
Approval Statement:
Educationally approved by Dalhousie University Continuing Professional Development and Medical Education.
FACULTY OF MEDICINE | Continuing Professional Development and Medical Education
Clinical Research Centre | 5849 University Ave. | PO Box 15000 | Halifax NS B3H 4R2
CPDME.Accreditation@dal.ca | medicine.dal.ca
CMA Statement:
In keeping with CMA Guidelines, program content and selection of speakers are the responsibility of the planning committee. Support is directed toward the costs of the course and not to individual speakers through an unrestricted educational grant.
The planning committee must recognize and disclose to participants all financial and in-kind support received from sponsors using the below acknowledgement statement. It is also useful to have a statement if the program hasn’t received any sponsorship.
This program has received an educational grant or in-kind support. Please view grant and in-kind support details here.
Course Cancellation and Refund Policy
We understand that unforeseen circumstances may require changes to your plans. Please review our cancellation and refund policy below:
All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing via email to info@car.ca.
Refund Deadlines and Fees:
- Up to March 3, 2025: Full refund minus a $35 administrative fee.
- Between March 3, 2025 and March 19, 2025: 50% refund.
- After March 20, 2025: No refunds will be issued.
No-Show Policy:
- No refunds will be provided for no-shows.
Transfer of Registration
- If you are unable to attend, you may transfer your registration to another individual by notifying us in writing at least 14 days before the event. All transfer requests must be submitted in writing via email to info@car.ca.
Course Cancellation
If, at any time, it is determined that the event will not take place in-person in April 2025 due to government-implemented health guidelines, or insufficient registration numbers, the participants will have the option to receive a full refund. No liability is assumed by the ISCD Canadian Regional Panel for changes in program date, content, speakers or venue. The ISCD Canadian Regional Panel reserves the right to cancel this event, if deemed necessary, and will not be responsible for airfare, hotel or other costs incurred by registrants.
Safety Protocols
We are committed to creating a safe environment for our participants, sponsors, and staff. Government mandated public health and safety protocols will always be followed, as well as the protocols instituted by the venue (Le Westin Montreal Hotel). The Canadian panel of the International Society for Clinical Densitometry (ISCD) will also implement additional proactive measures to ensure the safety of everyone in attendance, with the understanding that these measures and protocols may need to be enhanced as the situation evolves over the coming months. Anyone attending the event in person will be advised in advance with a detailed outline of the requirements and protocols in place for the meeting.