Matt Lowe, MDiv, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, ONC sat down with Dr. Mary O’Connor to discuss the impact that social determinants and individual behavior choices can have on musculoskeletal disparities in our nation. Mary is an orthopaedic surgeon with over 23 years of experience at Mayo Clinic and Yale University School of Medicine and is Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Vori Health. As the chair of the board of Directors for Movement is Life, a multidisciplinary coalition with a mission to decrease musculoskeletal health disparities among women and underserved individuals, she shares about the success of their community-based program, Operation Change which focuses on early intervention, education, behavior change and advocacy.

Matt Lowe, MDiv, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, ONC sat down with Christen Nelson RN, BN, ONC to discuss the value of patient optimization prior to orthopaedic surgeries. Christen has been an orthopaedic nurse for 15 years and is currently the lead orthopaedic nurse navigator at Yale Newhaven Hospital. She explains the importance of patient optimization to identify modifiable risk factures for complications post-surgery. Christen shares more information and how she has received positive feedback from patients on the optimization and nurse navigation processes.

Matt Lowe, MDiv, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, ONC sat down with Claire Gill to discuss bone health, osteoporosis, and menopause. Claire Gill is the CEO of the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation, founder of the National Menopause Foundation and hosts the Bone Talk podcast. She shared that 18-20% percent of the population have osteoporosis, and that for those over the age of 50 - about half of all women and a quarter of all men will break a bone due to osteoporosis in their lifetime. Barriers to bone health care include a lack of access to bone density machines (DEXA) and the cost since many insurance plans do not reimburse it. Claire explained that people may prevent osteoporosis by consuming calcium and vitamin D, as well as doing weight bearing and muscle strengthening exercises to maintain healthy bone mass. She is optimistic about the future of bone health because healthcare professionals are getting more knowledgeable about preventing and treating poor bone health.