Expires 9/30/2026: This advanced densitometry course focuses on how vertebral fracture imaging advances the diagnosis and treatment of patients at risk of osteoporotic fractures. It emphasizes the importance of vertebral fractures in the clinical management of osteoporosis, including recognition of lateral spine images of a normal spine, and other findings that may be confused with vertebral fractures. Fracture recognition, analysis, and best-practice patient positioning are detailed to ensure ideal image acquisition, interpretation, and reporting. It is recommended, but not required, that registrants attend the Quality Bone Densitometry Course (Clinician or Technologist) prior to attending the VFR course.

Expires 7/14/2027: This talk will examine the role of DXA in diagnosing sarcopenia, highlighting its accessibility and value for estimating lean mass in clinical and research settings. It will critically discuss key limitations, including variability across devices, cut-off definitions, and the inability of DXA to capture muscle mass, quality and function. Practical implications for clinicians will be addressed, with guidance on how to interpret DXA findings within a comprehensive sarcopenia assessment. The second talk reviews the clinical application of bone turnover markers in osteoporosis management, with emphasis on monitoring response to oral bisphosphonate therapy. The lecture explains practical approaches for interpreting CTX, P1NP, and other markers to assess adherence, identify responders, and guide treatment decisions during and after therapy.

Expires 8/1/2027: This session will provide DXA technologists with an overview of less commonly used DXA features and companion technologies that extend the clinical utility of standard bone density testing. Participants will review specialized DXA features including vertebral fracture assessment (VFA), full femur imaging (FFI), lateral distal femur (LDF) imaging, and orthopedic applications, with emphasis on utility, indications, acquisition techniques and analysis. The program will also address performance of additional DXA-derived analyses such as FRAX and hip geometry, highlighting technologist responsibilities in data accuracy and workflow integration. In addition, participants will explore the role of DXA companion software—including trabecular bone score (TBS) and 3D Shaper to better understand their technical requirements, outputs, and clinical relevance in comprehensive skeletal assessment.

Expires 7/14/2027: In this session, I will be examining differences in bone mineral density (BMD) and fracture risks in different racial and ethnic populations.  BMD is determined by a complex interplay of genetic factors, lifestyle, hormonal levels, and physical characteristics, with approximately 60% to 80% of peak bone mass variance attributed to genetics. Race and ethnicity are significant independent determinants of BMD, influencing peak bone mass, rate of bone loss, and overall fracture risk. I will also be discussing how this information can be used to translate to better patient care.

Expires 7/14/2027: AFFs are associated with some osteoporosis treatments and may occur without any treatment. The risk of AFF for most patients is very low and can be minimized with appropriate care. This presentation will address strategies for early recognition AFF, treatment of incomplete and complete AFF, and management of osteoporosis after AFF.

Expires 6/14/2027: This session will prepare DXA technologists to effectively support patient education and engagement within their professional scope of practice. Participants will explore strategies for appropriate technologist–patient communication related to fracture prevention, bone health, nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle modification, with emphasis on the use of motivational interviewing techniques to encourage positive health behaviors. The program will also guide technologists in identifying reliable patient education materials suitable for distribution in the DXA setting. In addition, participants will review the role of physical activity and weight-bearing exercise in maintaining bone and muscle health, enabling technologists to reinforce consistent, evidence-based messaging while supporting referring provider recommendations.

Expires 6/14/2027: This session will provide DXA technologists with a focused, practical framework for acquiring, analyzing, and reporting body composition data tailored to the needs of diverse clinical specialties. Participants will review primary DXA-derived body composition metrics—including appendicular lean mass (ALM), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and fat mass index (FMI)—and learn how their clinical relevance differs across geriatrics, bariatrics, and sports medicine. The program will emphasize identification of the most appropriate body composition outputs for monitoring patient progress in metabolic risk assessment, eating disorder recovery, and athletic performance. In addition, the session will explore the clinical significance of regional versus total body composition measurements, enabling technologists to better support referring providers through accurate data acquisition, interpretation, and communication.

Expires 10/14/2026: Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass and function, is often considered in the context of osteoporosis and fractures. Despite this, progress in clinical recognition and treatment of sarcopenia has been limited. Sarcopenia today seems comparable to osteoporosis prior to 1990; a disease without widespread clinical diagnosis for which no pharmacologic therapy exists. Moreover, the pathogenesis of sarcopenia and osteoporosis are strikingly similar. Nonetheless, consideration of sarcopenia by osteoporosis clinicians can be done today; reasonable current, and potential future, clinical approaches will be considered.

Expires 10/14/2026: Osteoporosis is a very significant disease with increased fracture risk. This session will explore various ways to approach prevention in patients.

Expires 9/14/2026: The concept of treat to target is well recognized across multiple fields of medicine and for some time now has been discussed in the arena of osteoporosis. This lecture will focus on the concept of treat to target in patients who warrant treatment for being at high risk for fracture along with which goals should be assessed and discussed with the patients for optimizing treatment.