ORLANDO - Just down the road from the EPCOT Center, and a short drive from Space Mountain, the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) kicked off its 45th annual meeting yesterday with a slew of awards and prospects for a rosy future.
In his state of the AIUM address, outgoing president Dr. Lawrence Platt told the opening session’s audience that there are several reasons to be optimistic for the society. First, the AIUM is jumping headlong into the information age. It hopes to more efficiently provide information to both its members and the public with an improved, easy-to-navigate Web site. And in the not-so-distant future, members may be able to attend the annual meeting from the comfort of their home thanks to the Internet and advances in streaming video, Platt said.
Politically, the AIUM’s position is as strong as ever, owing to enhanced or newly forged relationships with several national medical organizations. Most notably, the AIUM has recently cemented an alliance with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, an influential organization that sets the pace for how many ultrasound procedures are utilized, Platt said. A joint meeting tentatively scheduled for this summer in Washington, DC, will further explore this cooperative effort.
As for finances, the AIUM has enjoyed comfortable growth over the past few years. Its net assets have increased from $1.8 million in 1998 to about $2.8 million today. Due in large part to this growth, the organization will award its first-ever education and research grants at this year's meeting. Recipients will receive up to $10,000 for their basic science research projects and education projects.
The organization’s ultrasound accreditation program is also coming along. For the first time, the AIUM ended a fiscal year without losing money, and it has streamlined the process by which it awards accreditation. Adding another feather to its cap, California now requires all fetal diagnostic centers to be accredited by either the AIUM or the American College of Radiology.
The AIUM on Sunday also bestowed one of its highest honors, the William J. Fry Memorial Lecture Award, to Dr. Ilan Timor-Tritsch, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at New York University School of Medicine in New York City. Timor-Tritsch becomes only the fourth obstetrician and gynecologist awarded the honor since its 1969 inception. Among his many accomplishments, he organized the first three transvaginal ultrasound courses convened in the U.S. He has also authored 138 original articles on ultrasonography.
By Dan KrotzAuntMinnie.com contributing writer
March 12, 2001
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