The International Bone and Mineral Society has its origins in the Parathyroid Conferences, a triennial event run from 1960 to 1977.
[1] The conferences started off focusing on the biology related to parathyroid hormones and calcitonin, but widened the scope to match participants' interests, and began covering osteoporosis, vitamin D, and the cellular and molecular biology of bone.
[2] In 1980, the group was incorporated in Quebec, Canada, under the name International Conferences on Calcium Regulating Hormones (ICCRH).
It also organized the biennial International Conference on Osteoporosis and Bone Disease, held in China, in collaboration with the International Chinese Hard Tissue Society and the Chinese Society of Osteoporosis and Bone and Mineral Research.
[1] The second joint meeting of IBMS and ANZBMS was held in Sydney, Australia, in March 2009.
The purpose of this event was to Gordon Conference style of forum for students, post-doctoral researchers, and early stage principal investigators to present their work, network with colleagues, and obtain feedback from scientists experienced in the field.