The International Bone & Mineral Society was originally constituted in 1960 as the Parathyroid Conferences. These meetings, triennial events from 1960-1977, presented data and explored the biology related to parathyroid hormone and calcitonin. As the meeting grew and the interests of the participants widened to include osteoporosis, vitamin D and the cellular and molecular biology of bone, a more formal structure was incorporated in 1980 under the name of the International Conferences on Calcium Regulating Hormones (ICCRH). The bylaws of the organization included a mandate for international representation on the Board of Directors, making ICCRH the only truly international society in the bone field. To further stress this healthy evolution, at the 1995 meeting in Melbourne, the name of the organization was changed to the International Bone and Mineral Society (IBMS). An international focus was an early goal that was not served by local or regional societies. Furthermore, there were increasing numbers of participants at the successive conferences, including joint meetings, with the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (first joint meeting in 1989), the European Calcified Tissue Society (first joint meeting in 2001), the Japanese Bone and Mineral Society (first joint meeting in 2003) and the Australia and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society.
On the publications side, the new journal , resulting from the merger of the two journals Bone and Mineral and BONE, became a monthly publication and the official journal of the Society. has become one of the leading journals in the field, publishing top-notch, peer-reviewed content on both the basic science and clinical sides. Content published in includes original scientific research, as well as review articles and case reports, and the journal has developed a truly international following, with both authors and readers coming from the US, Asia, Europe and many other geographic regions throughout the world. Online, full-text access both to newly published articles, and to past content, is also now available, and monthly e-mail alerts notify readers of each month's new content.
To complement , IBMS established a unique online presence in 2001 through the launching of the first and, still, only free, open access online knowledge environment in the bone field. was an immediate success and by 2007 had grown to more than 17,000 registered members attracted to the site's unique combination of original content and online features. It continues to grow, and each month, publishes Perspectives, insightful thematic reviews of topics ranging from the treatment of bone diseases like osteoporosis to the basic science behind bone cell function; Commentaries, which offer specific analysis of path-breaking papers appearing in all of the major journals; Not To Be Missed selections, where the editors review, select and annotate important articles appearing each month in the bone field; Meeting Reports, which cover the key bone conferences; and News Articles. also offers a virtual journal, an online directory, online forums for discussion, a calendar of events, jobs and resumes, educational resources, and other features that have turned the site into the thriving virtual community of researchers and clinicians it is today.
As seen with its meeting history, , and other facets of its work, IBMS, as the first international society in the bone field, has evolved with the times. It has helped numerous other societies grow their meetings by holding joint meetings, and it has provided infrastructure to smaller subgroups in the bone field such as Comparative Endocrinology and the International Conference on Children’s Bone Health. It has also provided administrative support to help related groups, such as the Cancer and Bone Society, develop independent societies.
Starting in 2007, IBMS Meetings will be moved to an every year schedule with a large international scientific meeting in odd years, and 1-3 smaller meetings or workshops held in the even years. IBMS moves its international scientific meeting around the globe, rotating between North America, Europe and the Pacific Rim, and continues to hold joint meetings with local or regional bone societies where relevant in a particular region.
In essence, IBMS has taken on the role of a truly global umbrella society that communicates frequently with Affiliate Members from around the world, and it has provided the means for an international community in the bone field.