The following is the latest President's Letter to Members from the Sound Waves newsletter. Complete newsletters are available for AIUM Members to freely download.

Successful Meeting in San Diego
The 2010 AIUM Annual Convention and Preconvention Program in beautiful San Diego, California, March 24-27, was a resounding success. With the second highest number of attendees in AIUM history, the event showcased the most current research, applications, and technology in medical ultrasound today. It is truly energizing to meet with such a diverse group of clinicians, scientists, and manufacturers. I would like to thank the Annual Convention Committee and the AIUM staff for their tremendous work. Please see highlights on pages 4 and 5.

2010 Presidential Recognition Awards
During the 2010 Leadership Banquet, I had the pleasure of presenting 3 prestigious Presidential Recognition Awards. The recipients of these honors have demonstrated unmatched dedication to the AIUM and its mission over the past year. Joshua Copel, MD, was honored for his commitment to advancing educational opportunities for the next generation of physicians through various initiatives. J. Brian Fowlkes, PhD, received recognition for bridging communication between the scientific and clinical communities. He has played an invaluable role as executive committee liaison to several scientific committees. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) received the first-ever Presidential Recognition Award presented to an organization. The AACE and AIUM have collaborated to create a joint certification and accreditation program in dedicated thyroid/parathyroid ultrasound in addition to the Practice Guideline for the Performance of a Thyroid and Parathyroid Ultrasound Examination. The AIUM and AACE will cohost the upcoming Postgraduate Course Thyroid and Parathyroid Ultrasound Imaging and Update on Thyroid Disorders in Las Vegas, Nevada, July 31-August 1.

Ultrasound Lecture Series Available Free to Members
The AIUM's Ultrasound Lecture Series: Obstetrics and Gynecology, an ultrasound curriculum intended for delivery by faculty in obstetrics and gynecology residency programs, will be available in summer 2010 on www.aium.org for free download by members and also on DVD for purchase. The program consists of 31 lectures and will be provided to more than 200 residency programs in the United States. More than 3 years in the making, the lecture series was developed by the AIUM in collaboration with the Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Thank you to Joshua Copel, MD, and Ray Bahado-Singh, MD, for their leadership and guidance.

New Fetal Echocardiography Guideline
The AIUM is pleased to announce the publication of the new AIUM Practice Guideline for the Performance of Fetal Echocardiography. This guideline is a significant development that addresses the necessary components of a thorough fetal heart evaluation. The guideline was created in collaboration with ACOG and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and has also been endorsed by the American College of Radiology. View the final product, incorporating original scientific artwork, at www.aium.org under "Practice Guidelines."

GE Pledges $30,000 to EER, Milestone Achieved
It is my distinct pleasure to announce that the AIUM Endowment for Education and Research (EER) has reached a long-awaited milestone of $1 million with a $30,000 pledge from GE Healthcare. Their dedication to ultrasound education and research is evident through their generous contribution. I am thrilled that GE Healthcare has set such an extraordinary example of industry's commitment to advancing medical ultrasound.

AIUM and ASRM Present Postgraduate Course
The AIUM collaborated with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) to host Ultrasound in Reproductive Medicine and Infertility, March 27-28, in San Diego, California, coinciding with the close of the 2010 Annual Convention. I would like to thank the outstanding faculty and cochairs Steve Goldstein, MD, and Misty Blanchette Porter, MD, for presenting this innovative course, complete with a review of image quality optimization and up-to-date information on ultrasound's role in a variety of clinical scenarios.

AANEM Endorses Musculoskeletal Guideline
The American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) has officially endorsed the recent Training Guidelines for the Performance of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Examinations. The AANEM notes that they appreciate the work the AIUM undertook to develop the guideline and that the "framework will help providers from various backgrounds." They join the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, American Podiatric Medical Association, and Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Society in endorsing the guideline to date.

Thank You, Outgoing Leadership
This time of year marks change in our leadership committees. I would like to extend a sincere thank you to all outgoing members of the AIUM Board of Governors and Executive Committee as well as the outgoing chairs from the AIUM Communities and committees. Your leadership has given way to some outstanding accomplishments and continued growth for the AIUM over the past few years. Please see the full list of outgoing and incoming leadership on pages 4 and 5.

Exhibitors Inspire All at AIUM Convention
Thanks again to more than 250 industry representatives from nearly 50 organizations who exhibited at the 2010 AIUM Annual Convention. Access to the latest technology in the Exhibit Hall adds excitement and energy to every annual meeting, motivating attendees to stay current in their practice. We look forward to seeing you all in New York next year.

The AIUM Debuts on Parents.com
The AIUM, March of Dimes, and Johns Hopkins Hospital have collaborated with Parents.com to launch a new online resource for parents-to-be that provides a week-by-week collection of ultrasound images chronicling fetal development. A representative from Parents.com was on hand to showcase the project at the 2010 AIUM Annual Convention. For those who did not have a chance to view the product at the meeting, you can see the full survey of fetal development at Parents.com in the "Pregnancy & Birth" section. A direct link is available at www.aium.org.



Harvey Nisenbaum, MD
President