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AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY NEWS President’s Message
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF E C H O C A R D I O G R A P H Y NEWS President's Message ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY IN THE GLOBAL VILLAGE
Recent millennium celebrations broadcast from around the world highlighted that we live in a "global village,' Television allowed us to see h o w different countries exhibited their unique culture t h r o u g h song, dance, and fireworks as midnight struck in a wave around the globe. C o m m e n t a t o r s and viewers were r e m i n d e d that despite o u r differences, people around the world are very m u c h t h e same. Globalization is a d o m i n a n t t h e m e in entertainm e n t , business, politics, and t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n . T h e United States has s t r e n g t h e n e d the role of its strategic global alliances, ranging from increasing free trade to e x p a n d i n g t h e m e m b e r s h i p and scope of military alliances s u c h as the North American Treaty Organization (NATO). Events occurring elsewhere in t h e world can also be b a r o m e t e r s for things to c o m e in North America. Fears of chaos caused by the Y2K bug were dismissed early as countries s u c h as China and Russia, w h o s e preparatory efforts were minimal, d e m o n s t r a t e d little disruption m a n y h o u r s before midnight struck in North America. An important issue for the ASE involves acknowledging t h e g r o w t h and strength of echocardiography outside North America and forging stronger alliances with our international colleagues in areas of education, standards, and research. I had the pleasure of recently attending Euroecho 3, the third annual m e e t i n g of t h e European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Working Group on Echocardiography (WGE). The activities of the ESC and WGE are a m i c r o c o s m of the political attempts of Europe to form a European Union (EU) with c o m m o n standards and currency. The WGE, while the European equivalent of the ASE, is not fully independent, but rather one of 26 working groups of t h e ESC. Each working group has a seat on the ESC board and its o w n chair, executive, n u c l e u s committee, and m e m b e r s . The working groups have their o w n educational programs, p r o p o s e subjects for teaching and research, and initiate cooperative studies by European centers. M e m b e r s h i p in the WGE was last p o s t e d at 877, largely from the 28,666 m e m b e r s of 47 national societies from Europe and North Africa, w h i c h create a "Europe of Cardiology." T h e WGE's m e m b e r s h i p comprises primarily physicians b e c a u s e they p e r f o r m echocardiography in m o s t European countries, rather than sonographers. As president of the ASE, I was invited to develop closer ties b e t w e e n o u r societies and to discuss h o w the ASE has dealt with important issues s u c h as t h e d e v e l o p m e n t of standards, credentialing, and laboratory accreditation. I was struck by h o w the issues facing the WGE are very similar to w h a t the ASE has faced. In its first 3 years, Euroecho 3 has g r o w n steadily into the largest European echocar-
Volume 13 Number
3
diography m e e t i n g with a major focus o n research. The
European Journal of Echocardiography is about to be launched with an editorial board that includes a n u m b e r of ASE m e m b e r s . There are c o n c e r n s about c o m m o n standards of practice and the future need for credentialing of e c h o c a r d i o g r a p h e r s and laboratory accreditation. T h e diversity of practice, resources, and language from c o u n t r y to c o u n t r y p r e s e n t s a challenge. Interestingly, the c o m m o n European language for both the Euroecho meeting and the journal is English, the international language of medicine. There was active discussion about the n u m b e r of languages in w h i c h an examination should be administered (with strong s u p p o r t for the inclusion of at least French) and w h e t h e r an existing exam, s u c h as the National Board of Echocardiography's Examination of Special C o m p e t e n c y in Adult Echocardiography (formerly ASEeXAM), might be used as a template. I m a d e the tongue-in-cheek c o m m e n t that if our examination was used, instead of the French and Belgians fighting with the English about h o w t h e test w a s set up, everyone could equally blame t h e Americans, a sentiment n o t infrequently displayed in international affairs. We agreed to have the ASE and the WGE work more closely to develop c o m m o n d o c u m e n t s on standards a n d guidelines and to c o s p o n s o r faculty at each of o u r annual scientific sessions, including representation by t h e w i n n e r of t h e Young Investigator Award.
Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography
27A
I also recently had t h e o p p o r t u n i t y to visit Buenos Aires at t h e invitation of the Argentine Society of Cardiology, an organization w i t h a great deal of history and c o m m i t m e n t to excellence in cardiology. There was a similar m e s s a g e o f w a n t i n g to reach out to the ASE for collaboration on education, training, and research. I k n o w that m a n y o t h e r opportunities exist in different parts of t h e world. T h e e x p e r i e n c e a n d resources available to t h e ASE are important to o t h e r societies and are consistent with o u r goal of being a leader in information exchange, advocacy, and research.We also c a n gain m u c h from t h e expertise o f colleagues around t h e world w h o have b e e n leaders in m a n y areas including color flow and tissue Doppler imaging and transesophageal echocardiography. Indeed, about half the presentations at t h e annual m e e t i n g s of t h e American College o f Cardiology and t h e American Heart Association are from outside t h e United States. We shortly will h e developing a greatly e x p a n d e d m e n u of educational opportunities, ranging from highlights of o u r scientific sessions a n d o t h e r m e e t i n g s to special lectures, e c h o Jeopardy, and interactive learning sessions. This area o n o u r Web site will be called ASE University. Such educational c o n t e n t m a y also be very i m p o r t a n t for distance education, w h i c h m a y be vital to physicians and s o n o g r a p h e r s from o t h e r c o u n t r i e s w h o w i s h to have a link w i t h theASE b u t find that a t t e n d i n g o u r annual meeting p r e s e n t s a financial hardship. An e x a m p l e of s u c h activity c o m e s f r o m Michael Hart, t h e d e v e l o p e r of Project Gutenberg, w h i c h provides i m p o r t a n t b o o k s from different eras a n d c o u n t r i e s free from his Internet site
28A
(Gutenberg. net) for a n y o n e around t h e globe to read. His h o p e is that by m a k i n g m o r e t h a n 2000 books widely available, h e can increase the spread of knowledge, just as G u t e n b e r g ' s d e v e l o p m e n t of the printing p r e s s did 500 years ago. I intend to facilitate discussions of t h e s e e x p a n d i n g opportunities by organizing an international f o r u m to be held at the ASE annual scientific m e e t i n g in Chicago this June. This meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss the role of t h e ASE in increasing collaboration b e t w e e n echocardiography societies from different countries. We will invite representatives from different echocardiograp h y organizations from around the world to participate. T h e ASE has taken a leadership role in developing standards of practice, guideline d o c u m e n t s for training and p e r f o r m a n c e of examinations, standardized reporting, continuing quality assurance, credentialing, and lab accreditation. O u r e x p e r i e n c e over t h e last 25 years has taught us valuable lessons that can be shared with o t h e r groups. However, as w e face n e w challenges and opportunities, t h e k n o w l e d g e and p a r t n e r s h i p provided by o u r international friends are equally valuable to t h e ASE. I an] r e m i n d e d of t h e saying that plus fa change, plus c'est la m~me chose (the m o r e things change, the m o r e they stay t h e same).The m o r e the e n v i r o n m e n t s u r r o u n d i n g t h e practice of echocardiography changes, t h e m o r e i m p o r t a n t it is to have a large n u m b e r of g o o d friends. Harry Rakowski, MD President
Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography
Ametqcan Society of Echocardiography
Volume 13 Number
3
Recent millennium celebrations broadcast from around the world highlighted that we live in a "global village,' Television allowed us to see h o w different countries exhibited their unique culture t h r o u g h song, dance, and fireworks as midnight struck in a wave around the globe. C o m m e n t a t o r s and viewers were r e m i n d e d that despite o u r differences, people around the world are very m u c h t h e same. Globalization is a d o m i n a n t t h e m e in entertainm e n t , business, politics, and t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n . T h e United States has s t r e n g t h e n e d the role of its strategic global alliances, ranging from increasing free trade to e x p a n d i n g t h e m e m b e r s h i p and scope of military alliances s u c h as the North American Treaty Organization (NATO). Events occurring elsewhere in t h e world can also be b a r o m e t e r s for things to c o m e in North America. Fears of chaos caused by the Y2K bug were dismissed early as countries s u c h as China and Russia, w h o s e preparatory efforts were minimal, d e m o n s t r a t e d little disruption m a n y h o u r s before midnight struck in North America. An important issue for the ASE involves acknowledging t h e g r o w t h and strength of echocardiography outside North America and forging stronger alliances with our international colleagues in areas of education, standards, and research. I had the pleasure of recently attending Euroecho 3, the third annual m e e t i n g of t h e European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Working Group on Echocardiography (WGE). The activities of the ESC and WGE are a m i c r o c o s m of the political attempts of Europe to form a European Union (EU) with c o m m o n standards and currency. The WGE, while the European equivalent of the ASE, is not fully independent, but rather one of 26 working groups of t h e ESC. Each working group has a seat on the ESC board and its o w n chair, executive, n u c l e u s committee, and m e m b e r s . The working groups have their o w n educational programs, p r o p o s e subjects for teaching and research, and initiate cooperative studies by European centers. M e m b e r s h i p in the WGE was last p o s t e d at 877, largely from the 28,666 m e m b e r s of 47 national societies from Europe and North Africa, w h i c h create a "Europe of Cardiology." T h e WGE's m e m b e r s h i p comprises primarily physicians b e c a u s e they p e r f o r m echocardiography in m o s t European countries, rather than sonographers. As president of the ASE, I was invited to develop closer ties b e t w e e n o u r societies and to discuss h o w the ASE has dealt with important issues s u c h as t h e d e v e l o p m e n t of standards, credentialing, and laboratory accreditation. I was struck by h o w the issues facing the WGE are very similar to w h a t the ASE has faced. In its first 3 years, Euroecho 3 has g r o w n steadily into the largest European echocar-
Volume 13 Number
3
diography m e e t i n g with a major focus o n research. The
European Journal of Echocardiography is about to be launched with an editorial board that includes a n u m b e r of ASE m e m b e r s . There are c o n c e r n s about c o m m o n standards of practice and the future need for credentialing of e c h o c a r d i o g r a p h e r s and laboratory accreditation. T h e diversity of practice, resources, and language from c o u n t r y to c o u n t r y p r e s e n t s a challenge. Interestingly, the c o m m o n European language for both the Euroecho meeting and the journal is English, the international language of medicine. There was active discussion about the n u m b e r of languages in w h i c h an examination should be administered (with strong s u p p o r t for the inclusion of at least French) and w h e t h e r an existing exam, s u c h as the National Board of Echocardiography's Examination of Special C o m p e t e n c y in Adult Echocardiography (formerly ASEeXAM), might be used as a template. I m a d e the tongue-in-cheek c o m m e n t that if our examination was used, instead of the French and Belgians fighting with the English about h o w t h e test w a s set up, everyone could equally blame t h e Americans, a sentiment n o t infrequently displayed in international affairs. We agreed to have the ASE and the WGE work more closely to develop c o m m o n d o c u m e n t s on standards a n d guidelines and to c o s p o n s o r faculty at each of o u r annual scientific sessions, including representation by t h e w i n n e r of t h e Young Investigator Award.
Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography
27A
I also recently had t h e o p p o r t u n i t y to visit Buenos Aires at t h e invitation of the Argentine Society of Cardiology, an organization w i t h a great deal of history and c o m m i t m e n t to excellence in cardiology. There was a similar m e s s a g e o f w a n t i n g to reach out to the ASE for collaboration on education, training, and research. I k n o w that m a n y o t h e r opportunities exist in different parts of t h e world. T h e e x p e r i e n c e a n d resources available to t h e ASE are important to o t h e r societies and are consistent with o u r goal of being a leader in information exchange, advocacy, and research.We also c a n gain m u c h from t h e expertise o f colleagues around t h e world w h o have b e e n leaders in m a n y areas including color flow and tissue Doppler imaging and transesophageal echocardiography. Indeed, about half the presentations at t h e annual m e e t i n g s of t h e American College o f Cardiology and t h e American Heart Association are from outside t h e United States. We shortly will h e developing a greatly e x p a n d e d m e n u of educational opportunities, ranging from highlights of o u r scientific sessions a n d o t h e r m e e t i n g s to special lectures, e c h o Jeopardy, and interactive learning sessions. This area o n o u r Web site will be called ASE University. Such educational c o n t e n t m a y also be very i m p o r t a n t for distance education, w h i c h m a y be vital to physicians and s o n o g r a p h e r s from o t h e r c o u n t r i e s w h o w i s h to have a link w i t h theASE b u t find that a t t e n d i n g o u r annual meeting p r e s e n t s a financial hardship. An e x a m p l e of s u c h activity c o m e s f r o m Michael Hart, t h e d e v e l o p e r of Project Gutenberg, w h i c h provides i m p o r t a n t b o o k s from different eras a n d c o u n t r i e s free from his Internet site
28A
(Gutenberg. net) for a n y o n e around t h e globe to read. His h o p e is that by m a k i n g m o r e t h a n 2000 books widely available, h e can increase the spread of knowledge, just as G u t e n b e r g ' s d e v e l o p m e n t of the printing p r e s s did 500 years ago. I intend to facilitate discussions of t h e s e e x p a n d i n g opportunities by organizing an international f o r u m to be held at the ASE annual scientific m e e t i n g in Chicago this June. This meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss the role of t h e ASE in increasing collaboration b e t w e e n echocardiography societies from different countries. We will invite representatives from different echocardiograp h y organizations from around the world to participate. T h e ASE has taken a leadership role in developing standards of practice, guideline d o c u m e n t s for training and p e r f o r m a n c e of examinations, standardized reporting, continuing quality assurance, credentialing, and lab accreditation. O u r e x p e r i e n c e over t h e last 25 years has taught us valuable lessons that can be shared with o t h e r groups. However, as w e face n e w challenges and opportunities, t h e k n o w l e d g e and p a r t n e r s h i p provided by o u r international friends are equally valuable to t h e ASE. I an] r e m i n d e d of t h e saying that plus fa change, plus c'est la m~me chose (the m o r e things change, the m o r e they stay t h e same).The m o r e the e n v i r o n m e n t s u r r o u n d i n g t h e practice of echocardiography changes, t h e m o r e i m p o r t a n t it is to have a large n u m b e r of g o o d friends. Harry Rakowski, MD President
Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography
Ametqcan Society of Echocardiography
Volume 13 Number
3