My spring has been a busy season with meetings and travel.  In March I was invited to attend a forum on Disaster Preparedness. The meeting was the 4^th in a series of six meetings designed to develop and implement specific core competencies in preparing for a medical response in case of a disaster.  The meetings have been hosted by LMI Corporation, and supported by the Department of Defense.  I participated in a panel discussion of how to develop and incorporate these competencies in our allied health curriculum.  What became clear to me is that our work regarding disaster preparedness continues.  It was good to see that Kevin Frey, with the Association of Surgical Technologists and a commissioner for CAAHEP, has been actively participating in these meetings.

The CAAHEP spring board meeting and annual conference was held in Memphis, TN, April 7-11. During our Board meeting, two CAAHEP policies were edited. Policy 204-Initial Accreditation was edited to reflect that at any point during the initial accreditation period, a program may be recommended for continuing accreditation or, if warranted, for probationary accreditation.  Policy 208 D-Voluntary Inactive Status was edited to address the issue of programs that do not enroll students, but have not requested inactive status through their CoA.  The updated Policy Manual can be found on the CAAHEP website.  

I received many positive comments about the annual conference this year.  The meeting was kicked off with a keynote address from Dr. Richard Karl, a recognized cancer surgeon and 737-type rated pilot. His thought provoking presentation, "What Can a Surgeon Learn from a Pilot?" compared the safety regulation of the FAA to practices in medicine.

Elise Scanlon updated the attendees on what was happening in Washington, DC, as it relates to accreditation and the Department of Education.  Two professions were highlighted in the conference: The anesthesia team of technologist, assistant and anesthesiologist. Claire Chandler, Dr. Alan Marco and Vicki Reyes provided a dramatic demonstration of how each of these professions interact with the surgical team and patient. Thomas Skalko explained the differences between Recreational Therapy and other recreational and therapeutic professions.  For the first time, the conference highlighted CAAHEP sponsors. The organizations presented were the American Academy of Orthotist and Prosthetists, the American College of Radiology and the Association of Surgical Technologists.

The latest technology in education and clinical practice was provided through a 'hands-on' demonstration of the newest patient simulator for both Laerdal Medical Americas and METI Learning. Dr. Gregory Zagaja provided an overview and video on the use of robotic technology in surgery.

Fred Lenhoff, of the AMA, provided us with laughs and information as he highlighted the history of medicine, the Flexner Report, and the role of allied health.  All of the presentation materials for our annual meeting will be provided for our constituents under the Annual Meeting link on the CAAHEP website.

During the annual awards luncheon, the CAAHEP board recognized Bill Horgan with the Exceptional Service Award. Bill has been volunteering for CAAHEP since 1994. Nancy Smith and Greg Frazer were recognized for their six years of service on the CAAHEP Board.

Nancy Smith, LaCheeta McPherson and Greg Frazer

During the annual business meeting the following persons were elected for the Board of Directors: Kerry Weinberg, representing JRC-DMS, Bernard Cohen, representing the American Society of Neurophysiological Monitoring and Barry Eckert of the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP).  With the resignation of a current board member, Alicia Davis of NCOPE, the Board appointed Alan Marco to complete her term.

I want to welcome our latest profession and CoA that was approved by the commission during the annual meeting: Advanced Cardiovascular Sonography and CoA-ACS.  The American Society of Echocardiography was approved as a sponsor for CoA-ASC.

Recent Graduate Commissioner Katie Bowe

Lastly, I want to recognize the contributions of our Recent Graduate Commissioner, Katie Bowe. Katie participated in our Board of Directors meeting and provided a PowerPoint  presentation on her survey research of students' perception of surgical technology and career pathways during our commissioners' business meeting. She is an example of the excellent graduates from our CAAHEP accredited programs. Her commit-ment to her profession and service to accreditation is greatly appreciated.