Neil J. Weissman, MD, FASE

Did you know that:

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  The top 10 in-demand jobs in 2010, did not exist in 2004

  
  
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  We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t exist, using technologies that haven’t been invented in order to solve problems we yet don’t know

  
  
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  The first commercial text message was sent in December 1992, while today the number of text messages sent and received in a single day exceed the total population of the planet

  
  
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  More video was uploaded to YouTube in the last two months than if all the major TV networks aired new content 24/7/365 since their inception in 1948

On my first day of medical school, the Dean welcomed us and told us how exciting a career in medicine will be. He then went on, in his words, to tell us a secret. He said that we will learn more in the next four years than we have ever learned before. However, the little known fact is that half of what we learn will eventually turn out not to be true or will become obsolete by the time we are in practice. What is worse, he went on to say, is that none of the faculty have a clue as to which half that is! This was his way of emphasizing the need to become lifelong learners and embrace the fact that medicine is constantly changing.

This opening day speech by the Dean had a profound influence on my career. I looked around the class. Some felt it was daunting to have so much to learn (and annoyed that they had to learn things they would not need). Others were excited about the possibility of change, endless learning opportunities, and the potential to contribute to these changes. This opening day speech propelled me to stay in academics, become a life-long learner, and incorporate research and education into my everyday professional life. I quickly came to the realization that if I accept that change is inevitable, then the choice is to let change happen to me (i.e., learn the new aspects of medicine from others) or be a contributor to change (ask questions, have a deep curiosity, embrace alternative perspectives, and conduct the research that creates new medical knowledge). The choice was an easy one that I relish every day now.

As I start my presidency of ASE, I believe that one of the greatest challenges and simultaneously one of the greatest opportunities for ASE, is dealing with the speed of changes occurring in our field. Yes, healthcare reform and the rapidly changing technology are opportunities for ASE if we, as a society, (1) acknowledge that these changes are inevitable, and (2) we take a leadership role in defining the future of cardiovascular ultrasound. This was the topic of discussion at ASE’s annual strategic planning meeting held this spring. But, before discussing the salient points that came out of this two-day, intensive Board meeting, I would like to first share with you my personal perspective of where ASE is coming from and why it is in such an ideal position to lead future changes in our field.

My entire professional career, and much of my personal life, has been devoted to the field of cardiovascular ultrasound. As a medical student at Cornell University Medical College, I worked in Dr. Richard Devereux’s echocardiography laboratory studying mitral valve prolapse. I then went on to pursue a clinical and research fellowship in cardiology and a fellowship in cardiac ultrasound at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. There I worked in Dr. Arthur Weyman’s echocardiography laboratory, a lab that has produced numerous echo lab directors and five ASE Presidents! It was here that I was introduced to ASE and attended the Scientific Sessions in Boston over 20 years ago.

I owe so much to ASE, as do many others who have had successful echocardiography careers. This international, non-profit organization has provided me an opportunity to have many firsts and has been instrumental in my career progression. Here are some highlights of what ASE has provided me:

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  Ability to meet many of the founding fathers and leading figures in echo because of the intimate, highly interactive fashion of the Annual Scientific Sessions

  
  
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  My first poster and first oral presentation

  
  
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  First time I was an author on a guideline paper

  
  
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  First opportunity to serve on a committee (Local Echo Societies) and then, several years later, my first chance to chair a committee (Guidelines & Standards)

  
  
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  The ASE Board of Directors was the first time I served on a Board (I subsequently have served on the Board for several organizations including my son’s school, The Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and the Clinical Trial Transformation Initiative)

  
  
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  First time I am President of a professional organization!

I never lose sight of the fact that much of what I have achieved throughout my career can be attributed to ASE’s founding fathers and its continuous, dynamic, and strong leadership. I know that many of you can speak to the experience of having ASE as your strong ally. It is now our turn, and our collective responsibility, to continue making sure that ASE is always cutting edge, and that those who are starting out today, will look back in 20 years with the same sense of pride in our organization. So, how will we do that? Well, this brings me back to the Board of Directors’ strategic planning retreat and leading the change to create the future of cardiovascular ultrasound.

One of the things we did at the retreat was to explore what the future of cardiovascular ultrasound looks like. We asked five questions; (1) Who is going to be doing cardiovascular ultrasound?; (2) Where is it going to be used?; (3) Why are people going to use cardiovascular ultrasound?; (4)What are going to be the main roles of cardiovascular ultrasound?; and (5) When is it going to be used?

The concise answers that came from many long, in-depth discussions are that more and more healthcare workers are going to be performing some sort of ultrasound exam (to quote some, “Everyone who owns a stethoscope will eventually do ultrasound”), and that it is going to be used more widely in all clinical settings. In fact, there is a strong possibility that it will be used in locations beyond traditional clinical settings and applied in a very broad number of clinical scenarios. The future will include more advanced, comprehensive ultrasound exams that provide more in-depth information than we can currently obtain and, ironically, the future of ultrasound will also be a more focused, basic exam to address one particular aspect of health or simply as an extension of the physical exam. Cardiovascular ultrasound will likely have a broader role in healthcare and be used by more healthcare workers.

ASE has led the charge in regards to cardiovascular ultrasound for four decades, and we are incredibly well-positioned to continue to excel in this leadership role as the answers to these five “W” questions transform.

One of the very important things that ASE and its leadership does is ask and listen. We strive to get input from new users of ultrasound, including those in non-traditional settings such as the ICU or ED. We want to know what is needed from an education, quality, and advocacy viewpoint. We are excited and proud to include in this issue of JASE , a document from WINFOCUS, “International Evidence-Based Recommendations for Focused Cardiac Ultrasound.” As immediate past ASE President Benjamin F. Byrd, MD, FASE wrote, “We believe that this publication will make this WINFOCUS document available to a wide audience worldwide, improving recognition of the potential of Focused Ultrasound to improve patient care through wider access to higher-quality cardiovascular ultrasound worldwide.” This document, along with ASE’s Echo Florida course on point-of-care ultrasound, and our recent “Focused Cardiac Ultrasound: Fundamental Principles of Acquisition and Interpretation” educational DVD, acknowledges the rapid changes from emergence of the hand-held ultrasound machines.

I look forward to being your president over the next year and want (no, need) your input and involvement. This can only happen if we have an open line of two-way communication and facilitated volunteerism. I am committed to open, transparent communication and encourage you to e-mail me ( president@asecho.org ) , post your comments and suggestions on Connect@ASE or stay up with ASE happenings on the President’s blog ( http://connect.asecho.org/blogsmain/presidentblog ).

Together we will support and enhance ASE as it continues to embrace the changing healthcare world and lead this change in regards to cardiovascular ultrasound so it serves our patients’ needs in a highly valued and efficient manner.