Presidential Greeting - American Society for Laser Medicine and ...

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CME Mission Statement
2011 Annual Conference
Pre-Conference Courses: March 30-31, 2011
Annual Conference: April 1-3, 2011
Gaylord Texan TM Resort and Convention Center
Grapevine, TX
The American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS) is a multi-disciplinary organization whose
membership includes representatives from all medical and surgical disciplines, nursing, dentistry, podiatric
medicine, veterinary medicine, industry, research and government.
Purpose
ASLMS is dedicated to enhancing the understanding of lasers and the application of lasers and related technologies
in biomedicine. The ASLMS is committed to continuous quality improvement and excellence in all of its activities.
Target Audience
The ASLMS is the largest organization of its kind and seeks to enhance dialogue between clinicians, scientists,
industry and government through its variety of educational formats. The educational offerings are organized so that
whether a novice or an expert, the attendees are provided with useful information.
Types of Activities Provided
The ASLMS accomplishes this goal through committee meetings, general sessions, the Annual Conference,
educational courses, regional courses and other programs. A variety of educational formats are used including
plenary lectures, scientific paper and poster presentations, panel discussions, didactic lectures, and educational
courses. The latest information regarding biomedical applications of laser technologies is presented by experts
from these fields. The ASLMS also functions as both advocate and advisor to a variety of groups and organizations as
well as the Food and Drug Administration. These programs are designed to foster dialogue and discussion between
clinicians, scientists, and manufacturers.
Content
Educational programs are designed to enable each participant to select the program and course of learning which
best meets individual educational needs while at the same time covering a broad and more balanced range of
topics.
Expected Results
Written and verbal evaluations as well as pre-test and post-test results measure the degree to which these
educational objectives are met and also provide information used for planning and implementation of future
activities. All attendees will have exposure to basic science and clinical laser use in their particular field(s) of
interest through their attendance and participation in plenary sessions, focus sessions, specialty breakout sessions,
and clinical entity-based courses and panel sessions. The multispecialty nature of ASLMS educational offerings, as
well as the spirit of disclosure among scientists and clinicians, provides cross-fertilization between specialties that
often leads to breakthroughs in medicine, and facilitates the ability of the participants to fill gaps in their
knowledge relative to these technologies and their applications. Specialty-specific courses provide exposure to
information of clinical and scientific importance to those practicing in the field. Other content, including but not
limited to courses and comprehensive educational activities such as the “Fundamentals of Lasers in Health Care"
course and regional courses provide educational tools and will measure the degree to which material has been
learned through the use of standardized testing methods. It is expected that participants in these activities will
identify gaps in their knowledge, competence, or performance. It is expected that participants will use the
knowledge gained to improve their clinical outcomes as a result of their improved understanding of the best
practices relative to patient treatment with these technologies, and their safe use.
Approved by the Board of Directors, November 10, 2010