Past Speaker
Karen D. French, DNP
Seminar Title: Osteoporosis: Time to Screen and Treat!
Presentation Date: 1/16/2026
Presentation Time: 11:00 AM
Seminar Details: This presentation will go over the identification, screening, and management of osteoporosis in primary care. It aims to equip healthcare providers with the tools to recognize at-risk patients—particularly perimenopausal and older women—and to utilize screening methods like the FRAX tool and DXA scans to stratify risk and prevent “silent” fragility fractures. The presentation will detail the pathophysiology of bone loss, the significant societal and financial impact of the condition, and comprehensive treatment options ranging from lifestyle modifications (like calcium, Vitamin D, and weight-bearing exercise) to pharmacological therapies such as bisphosphonates, denosumab, and anabolic agents. Ultimately, the goal is to promote proactive screening and effective long-term monitoring to reduce the high incidence of fractures and improve the quality of life for aging populations.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Karen D French is a Family Nurse Practitioner. She is both a practicing NP, as well as the Chair of the APRN department and an Associate Professor at Azusa Pacific University. She loves to combine teaching with being an active Family Nurse Practitioner, practicing in a hepatology and GI private practice,. Her area of scholarship and publications are focused on osteoporosis and increasing screening in high-risk populations. Her acute care clinical background was in critical care, open-heart ,CCU, school nursing, and home health care for high risk infants. She and her husband live and thrive in San Clemente, CA.
Seminar Objectives:
- Participants will be able to identify those patients at risk for osteoporosis
- Participants will be able to use various tools to appropriately screen women, stratifying by risk and making appropriate referral for bone densitometry.
- To incorporate screening for osteoporosis as part of the well woman exam for perimenopausal women and older.
- Learners will be able to determine first line medications for use in primary care, and when to refer to specialty.
