The following is the latest President's Letter to Members from the Sound Waves newsletter. Complete newsletters are available for AIUM Members to freely download.

2009 Year in Review

As the AIUM begins a new year of initiatives to support our membership and advance medical ultrasound, I am excited for the future and proud of what we've accomplished over the past year. I hope you will appreciate the following highlights of the AIUM's successes in 2009.

Membership Enhancements
Adding value to AIUM membership is an ongoing goal.

• Membership grew to more than 8350-an increase of more than 8% since 2008.
• Continuing into 2010 for the seventh consecutive year, the AIUM did not raise membership dues.
• The Therapeutic Ultrasound Community of Practice and the Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Community of Practice were established following the 2009 Annual Convention.
• The AIUM rolled out a new design of its website, www.aium.org, providing access to a more effective online experience for AIUM members.
• A new interactive online Career Center was launched, providing access to the National Healthcare Career Network, a group of more than 170 top health care associations and professional organizations.

AIUM Expands Its Online Networking
These venues are used to raise awareness of the AIUM and provide a way for ultrasound professionals to connect with each other and the organization.

• The AIUM launched www.aiumcommunities.org, a new professional networking site and home to the 15 AIUM Communities of Practice. This site provides a dynamic platform for Community of Practice members to connect.
• More than 450 individuals have created accounts on www.aiumcommunities.org since its launch in August 2009.
• The AIUM Journal Club was introduced on www.aiumcommunities.org to expand members' educational experience through in-depth discussion of the literature.
• AIUM's Facebook page accumulated more than 2800 fans, and its Twitter account attracted more than 300 followers who regularly receive AIUM updates.

Professional Development Remains Key Focus
A range of AIUM courses and educational opportunities reflect the varying needs of our diverse membership.

• More than 1900 attendees gathered in New York, New York, April 2-5, 2009, for the largest Annual Convention in AIUM history.
• The AIUM released 6 new educational DVDs, providing ultrasound professionals a convenient way to earn CME credits in a variety of growing specialties.
• Hands on Musculoskeletal Ultrasound: Diagnostic and Interventional Techniques, held July 9-11, 2009, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, sold out for the third year in a row!
• The AIUM hosted Breast Ultrasound: Current Concepts and Future Directions, August 22-23, 2009, in National Harbor, Maryland.
• The AIUM headed to Miami Beach, Florida, to host courses in Pediatric Ultrasound and Vascular Ultrasound November 14-15, 2009.
• Frederick Kremkau, PhD, hosted the tremendously well-received registry review course, Diagnostic Ultrasound Principles and Instruments: Fundamentals and Advancements, December 5-6, 2009 in Takoma Park, Maryland.
• The AIUM collaborated with the Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology to create a set of lectures covering all essential aspects of ultrasound, which will soon be made available for residency program directors to use in residency training.
• The AIUM collaborated with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) in plans to cosponsor the Ultrasound for Reproductive Endocrinologists course hosted by the ASRM at their annual meeting. A similar freestanding course will be hosted by the AIUM on March 27, 2010, during the AIUM Annual Convention in San Diego, California.

Advancing Safe and Effective Practice
The AIUM's mission to promote the practice of ultrasound was carried out in many ways, from publications to research and accreditation.

• The ultrasound practice of Michelle Zaniewski-Singh, MD, received the first AIUM ultrasound practice accreditation in dedicated thyroid/parathyroid ultrasound on June 15, 2009.
• In November 2009, the AIUM Board of Governors approved the Training Guidelines for the Performance of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Examinations. It is anticipated that at least 6 other societies will endorse the guidelines in early 2010.
• An interorganizational committee completed a first draft of a new AIUM fetal echocardiography guideline, which is now being distributed to the participating organizations for comment.
• The AIUM's second edition of Medical Ultrasound Safety, now including CME credit opportunities, has sold with great success since its release in March 2009.
• The 2009 Endowment for Education and Research Leadership Campaign and Dues Check-off Campaign raised a combined total of more than $50,000 to fund ultrasound education and research.

Expanding Our Reach
The AIUM found success in numerous collaborative efforts to educate the public and improve patient care.

• On June 14, 2009, the American Medical Association House of Delegates adopted an amended resolution introduced by the AIUM calling for action to advance the use of ultrasound contrast agents.
• AIUM Immediate Past President Joshua Copel, MD, was successful in supporting efforts to establish legislation banning obstetric ultrasound from being performed without a medical reason in Connecticut. The law went into effect on June 15, 2009.
• The AIUM, the March of Dimes, and Johns Hopkins Hospital are collaborating with Parents.com to develop an online patient-friendly sonographic survey of fetal development expected to launch on Parents.com in early 2010.
• The International Society for Therapeutic Ultrasound (ISTU) signed a management agreement with the AIUM effective July 1, 2009. Visit the ISTU at www.istu.org.
• Plans for a November 2010 Ultrasound Practice Forum are under way. The focus will be on point-of-care ultrasound. Contact with the multiple organizations performing point-of-care ultrasound has begun.
• Carmine Valente, PhD, became the new chair of the American Association of Medical Society Executives National Chief Executive Officer Task Force, representing nearly 100 national specialty societies.

This overview is presented with sincere thanks to the AIUM membership, leadership, and staff for their outstanding commitment to our organization and its mission. Best wishes to all for a happy and productive new year.



Harvey Nisenbaum, MD
President