This issue contains the proceedings of the "Porous Ceramics: Novel Developments and Applications" and "Next Generation Bioceramics" symposia, which were held on January 24-29, 2010 at the Hilton Daytona Beach Resort and the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida, USA. The interaction between ceramic materials and living organisms is a leading area of ceramics research. Novel bioceramic materials are being developed that will provide improvements in diagnosis and treatment of medical and dental conditions. In addition, bioinspired ceramics and biomimetic ceramics have generated considerable interest in the scientific community. The "Next Generation Bioceramics" symposium addressed several leading areas related to the development and use of novel bioceramics, including advanced processing of bioceramics; biomineralization and tissue-material interactions; bioinspired and biomimetic ceramics; ceramics for drug delivery; ceramic biosensors; in vitro and in vivo characterization of bioceramics; mechanical properties of bioceramics; and nanostructured bioceramics.