Forum's vision and mission

The Forum on Back and Neck Pain Research was first held in Seattle, USA in 1995 on the initiative of Dan Cherkin, Jeffrey Borkan, Timothy Carey, Richard Deyo and Bart Koes and has since gathered active and respected researchers in the back pain field such as Alf Nachemson, Gordon Waddell, and Peter Croft, to name but a few. Since then, it has been organized about every 18 months in different countries. The Forum gathers researchers from all over the world and many disciplines with a strong and committed interest for research on spinal pain in primary as well as in secondary care. Since the Forum in Australia in 2011 an early career research group was established in order to facilitate the participation of younger researchers. This turned out to be very successful, and we hope to continue this development in Groningen, the Netherlands. We also encourage experienced researchers in spinal pain as well as researchers from other musculoskeletal pain fields to join us and contribute to thinking aloud about our current and future challenges in back and neck pain research.

The International Forum for Back and Neck Pain Research in Primary Care is an organization whose vision is to reduce the burden of back and neck pain through excellent research. Its mission is to promote scientifically rigorous and clinically relevant research to improve outcomes that are important to people living with back or neck pain; promote the implementation of research results; clarify research priorities and set a research agenda; foster international, multidisciplinary collaboration; influence stakeholders to promote changes in policy that improve the prevention and management of back and neck pain; and provide and support learning opportunities.

Ethic code
The Forum seeks to create positive interaction among its participants and encourages the sharing of ideas, knowledge and technical skills.

Respect is fundamental to any activity of the Forum. Any comment or act deemed to be arrogant, inappropriate, defamatory, discriminatory or that undermines the dignity of an individual or group of individuals will not be tolerated.

Commercial Support Disclosure
Sponsors of the industry are not involved and have no influence in the development of the scientific program of the forum which is under the control of the XVIIIth International Forum on Back and Neck Pain Research in Primary Care Organizing Committee.