November 2004 | Vol. 22, No. 11

President’s Message

A Look Back at 2004

by George L. Berdejo, BA RVT FSVU

This will be my final communication with you via e-Spectrum this year. It has now been almost one full year since I came on board as your President and I am pleased to report that it has been a productive year, marked by significant progress on several important fronts.

As the Thanksgiving holiday season approaches, I wish to thank you all for your hard work and dedication to the SVU this year. This has been a challenging year for the Board, the Executive Committee and the membership of the Society, but it has also been a very satisfying one.

The 2004 Vascular Annual Meeting in Anaheim was the highlight of the year and was a grand success. We look forward to another successful event in June 2005 in Chicago. By the way, the deadline to submit abstracts for SVU’s 2005 Annual Conference is December 17th this year. We encourage you to submit your abstracts for consideration for presentation at the 2005 SVU Annual Conference. SVU has also sponsored several successful Vascular Ultrasound Interpretation Courses this year and will continue to offer such courses in 2005. Thanks to the Annual Conference and Meeting Chairs, Kathy Carter, Judy Fried, Tish Poe and Dr. Gene Zierler and to their committees for their outstanding efforts this year.

The Abstracts Committee Chaired by Carol Miranda is in transition. It is currently working on a plan to add to its current armamentarium of responsibilities by offering first time and less experienced authors assistance to help improve their abstract writing skills. Carol will be stepping down as Chair at the end of this year, but the committee will be in good hands as this committee’s leadership will be assumed by Board Director Courtney Nelms effective January 2005. Thank You Carol and committee for a job well done.

Educational initiatives are moving forward in other arenas as well. Thanks to the hard work of Michel Comeaux and her Professional Performance Guidelines Committee, there are currently fifteen Professional Performance Guidelines available to the general public on the SVU website. These guidelines are an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to establish protocols for the various areas of vascular testing performed in their laboratory. Keep up the great work.

The Chapters Committee has been very busy this year. They have worked hard to improve communications between the Local Chapters and the National office. Current Chair Shelly Burns and Immediate Past Chair Debbie Pirt, have enlisted the assistance of five regional advisors, including two new regional advisors. Shelly has contacted all of the Chapter Presidents and made them aware of the SVU’s new PowerPoint Chapter’s presentation and encouraged them to incorporate it into their meetings. Thanks to Debbie’s Chapters’ Strategic Plan, the Chapters have experienced a cohesiveness SVU has not seen in several years. This will be critical in our plans to improve member retention and increase membership. Many thanks to Debbie and to Shelly for their hard work.

On the advocacy front, under the leadership of Bill Schroedter, the Government Relations Committee Chair, SVU remains a prominent voice, advocating your interests with the Administration and on Capitol Hill. SVU continues to be at the forefront of efforts to address regulatory and legislative issues that have a tremendous impact on key areas such as accreditation and credentialing, screening studies, reimbursement, supervision, quality of care and quality of life. The Board and EC appreciate the efforts of this very important and very busy committee.

These are but a few of SVU’s major accomplishments this year. I also want to acknowledge the Chairs of the other SVU committees: Academics Chair Paula Heggerick, Awards Chair Joanne Spindel, CME Chair Joe Hughes, Ethics Chair Keith Fujioka, former Membership Chair and current Fellows Subcommittee Chair Michael Schwebler, new Membership Chair Dave Parlato, Nominations Chair Melissa Vickery, Products Committee Chair Michel Comeaux, Vendor Relations Chair Tom Baer, and Carrier Medical Director Network Chair Dr. William Harkrider. The efforts of these loyal and committed SVU members have allowed me to meet the challenges of SVU Presidency with boldness and with confidence.

My thanks would not be complete without first mentioning my staff at home. The dedicated work, support and understanding of the staffs at both the Moses and Weiler Divisions of the Montefiore Medical Center have allowed me to better focus my efforts on behalf of the Society and its membership. Secondly, I want to express my appreciation to Executive Director Steve Haracznak and his team at the National Office for their outstanding management support this year. Finally, none of this would be possible without the support of the membership.

This is a true example of the total effect being greater than the sum of its parts. This synergistic union of people has elevated the SVU to another level of leadership and public and professional recognition in the field of Vascular Ultrasound. Thanks for being part of this great SVU team.

The challenge will continue as the New Year begins. However, we have two months before the end of this banner year for the SVU. With that in mind, I will once again issue a challenge to the membership and remind you of the SVU recruitment theme for 2004, Each One Current Member, Reach One New or Lost Member. If you have not already done your part as a member of the team to advance this part of the SVU agenda, I encourage you to do so.

As the Board of Directors prepares for its winter board meeting in December we realize that we are at an important juncture for the future of the SVU and its members. We will be discussing various aspects of our Strategic Plan, Vision 2005. This is a pivotal point in the evolution of the Vision. We need you to believe in this Vision and to buy into it. In order to see the Vision become a reality, we will need your help. However, all vision starts from within, it needs to be personal; you need to be a part of it. Accordingly, we welcome comments and suggestions from you, our valued members.

In closing, on behalf of the SVU Board of Directors, I wish to assure you that the SVU leadership will continue to work diligently to advance the Vision and meet the needs of its membership as we continue to be THE VOICE FOR THE VASCULAR ULTRASOUND PROFESSION.

Best wishes for a blessed Thanksgiving, Christmas and Holiday Season to you and your families.

George L. Berdejo, BA, RVT, FSVU
President
Society for Vascular Ultrasound

THE VOICE FOR THE VASCULAR ULTRASOUND PROFESSION