Patricia Pellikka, MD, FASE

As I expect my year as ASE president to fly by, like most times do when one is engaged with good friends and interesting work, I have been planning ahead to make sure that I have time to complete several important missions. Our committee members have been appointed and our strategic plans have been made. I have recruited my talented colleagues in the Mayo Clinic Echo Lab to assist me with many of the operational aspects of running our lab. My “children” are tucked away in higher educational programs. My husband of 29 years has signed on for another year. I am ready.

To help meet some of the objectives identified at our board’s March strategic planning retreat, I’ve established five new task forces. The members of these groups will have one-year terms and will focus on aims of immediate importance to ASE. These groups have already begun their work and include the following:

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  New Practice Applications Task Force: This group will explore avenues for ASE to engage, influence, and provide education to users of cardiovascular ultrasound who come from backgrounds other than cardiology. Experts and enthusiasts of cardiovascular ultrasound include some anesthesiologists, emergency department physicians, critical care physicians, internists, and others. We share interests in the quality practice of echocardiography and doing right for our patients. As ASE strives to position echocardiography as the most valuable imaging technique in the changing healthcare environment, there may be mutual benefit in alliance with non-cardiologist cardiovascular ultrasound users.

  
  
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  JASE Contract Task Force: This task force has been established to make recommendations for a new contract with a publisher for our monthly medical journal, JASE. The group has been charged to investigate options with other publishers; to review the contract with the current publisher and develop a list of features we would like to keep and those we would like to change; to explore options for providing more flexibility in delivery methods for the Journal, including green (paperless) alternatives; to engage a consultant to assist in the review; and to prepare a presentation for the Executive Committee with recommendations for the future. As JASE is our members’ most highly regarded member benefit, and has enormous impact on the budget, this is a tall order. The JASE contract was last negotiated in 2008 and ends in January 2014.

  
  
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  3D Editorial Board Task Force: This task force will assemble information for the creation of a Web site section on www.asecho.org with content specific to 3D echocardiography. They will also maintain the site, which will include breaking news from industry, images, and practical tips. With the success of the previous ContrastZone section to assist members with the adoption of contrast use, the board recommended creating a similar site for promoting the emergence of 3D and accelerating the adoption of this key diagnostic technique into clinical practice. The Society recently published a 3D guideline, and information from this publication will be featured on the site.

  
  
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  New Scientific Sessions Task Force: This group will analyze similar conferences put on by other organizations to gather ideas on how we might enhance ASE’s annual meeting. They will recommend ways to attract non-members to the meeting, evaluate the current program committee structure and meeting timing, and recommend ways to keep the content fresh and innovative. As our Scientific Sessions are the flagship of the Society’s activities, the board felt that it was important to reassess the meeting and ensure that it is best positioned for the future.

  
  
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  International Sonographer Training Task Force: The United States is one of the few countries that utilizes a team approach to cardiovascular ultrasound, using trained and credentialed sonographers in concert with board-certified physicians to perform and interpret echocardiography exams. Our new International Sonographer Training Task Force will develop a proposal for ways that the ASE might assist in developing and promoting sonographer education in countries where the sonographer profession does not currently exist or does not have an integral role in patient care. This task force will report its recommendations to the ASE International Relations Task Force. The ASE includes many members with a talent and passion for education and service; some are already engaged with humanitarian and teaching activities in different areas of the world. This is an opportunity to bring these efforts together with the support of the Society.

As we embark on this year together, I hope to engage you in the ASE, the premier organization for membership and education in cardiovascular ultrasound. We have a wonderful organization with a diverse and growing membership. Moreover, echocardiography offers immense clinical value. However, as we contemplate the future of our society, and how we may best succeed in a complex and changing healthcare environment, consider the quotation of Charles Darwin: “ It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” If you have ideas for how ASE should adapt, let me know.