Volume 11 Issue 1 (February) - Australasian Society for Ultrasound ...

THE EXECUTIVE
Pace picks up for WFUMB 2009 planning
Matthew Andrews
On behalf of the ASUM Council and
Staff, I would like to wish all ASUM
members a very happy 2008. This
year will be crucial for the Society.
In addition to its usual wide range of
activities and services, the organisation
of the World Federation of Ultrasound
in Medicine (WFUMB) 2009 World
Congress, being hosted by ASUM in
Sydney, will be consolidated.
British Medical Ultrasound
Society
I was recently fortunate to take part
in the ASUM/BMUS Presidential
Exchange Program, in which I was
invited to represent ASUM at the
BMUS Annual Scientific Meeting.
This program was established several
years ago to promote cooperation and
the exchange of scientific and organisational
knowledge between the two
societies.
BMUS has a similar membership
profile to ASUM, with the bulk of
members being sonographers and radiologists.
Membership numbers are also
similar to ASUM.
Physicists appear to play a greater
role in BMUS currently than they do in
ASUM. Dr Kevin Martin, the current
BMUS President, is a physicist and the
President-elect, Ms Julie Walton is a
sonographer.
The BMUS meeting is rotated
around Britain and in 2007 was held in
Harrogate, approximately three hours
train journey north of London. Similar
to the ASUM ASM, the BMUS meeting
is held over three days, but within
the working week, with no weekend
component. The meetings have similar
numbers of registrants and similar
sized trade components.
Features of the scientific program
included several veterinary ultrasound
sessions, with dogs being scanned, an
interactive quiz session and an extremely
interesting History of Ultrasound
talk by Dr Paul Allen, Past President of
BMUS, which featured some ASUM
members.
There were lunchtime trade seminars,
where vendors displayed their latest
technologies. The scientific presentations,
both oral and poster, were wideranging
and of a very high standard.
Volume acquisition ultrasound talks
were impressive, where a whole volume
is scanned and images then processed
and obtained on workstation in any
plane required. This would appear to
have the potential to revolutionise the
way ultrasound is practised.
My presentation was part of a seminar
discussing the future of ultrasound
practice, including the roles of sonographers,
sonologists and clinicians performing
ultrasound, where I gave the
Australasian perspective.
The forum allowed me the opportunity
to showcase ASUM’s Certificate
of Clinician Performed Ultrasound
(CCPU), which was very well received
by both BMUS and clinicians in attendance.
BMUS expressed interest in
exploring the CCPU concept further
and will liaise with ASUM.
I would like to acknowledge the
very kind hospitality provided to me by
BMUS including the BMUS staff, who
were extremely helpful.
I am confident my visit will be
of benefit to ASUM and I look forward
to welcoming Dr Martin when
he reciprocates by attending this year’s
ASUM meeting in Auckland. I would
also like to acknowledge the foresight
of my predecessors in establishing this
exchange program.
Dr Matthew Andrews
Help us promote WFUMB
2009 Sydney
ASUM welcomes members’ assistance
in promoting the Congress.
To help spread the message,
members who are attending and
presenting at meetings overseas are
encouraged to include promotional
slides for WFUMB 2009 in their
presentation
ASUM Ultrasound Bulletin 2008 February 11 (1)
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