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PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Ian Schroen, President, ASA A s I present the Association’s work and finances for the 2020–2021 financial year, I reflect on how this has been another truly turbulent year. Sonographers, like all healthcare workers, have had to navigate the difficult scenario of PPE and COVID-19 risk, and I want to congratulate and thank all our sonographers for this important work.
Again this year the ASA has been well-managed throughout these external pressures and has continued to grow, increasing our financial reserves while providing significant resources and educational opportunities to members. I encourage you to review the financial statements, along with the key achievements presented within the annual report, as they do confirm the financial strength of the Association, along with the efforts made to support all members.
Thank you to all members of the Association who make up our dynamic and valued sonographer community. This is reflected in achieving a terrific new milestone of over 7000 members. The continued increasing membership highlights the significance and connection the ASA provides to all our members. My thanks also to all our corporate partners who continue to invest in ASA activities despite the continued changes to our online virtual education program and uncertainty around face-to-face engagement.
The ASA has adapted in many ways to the changed working environment, some of which are obvious to members, such as the focus on health and wellbeing and the increased online activities. This changing dynamic with city lockdowns has placed significant strain on our office team who have continued to provide extensive ongoing education opportunities, along with comprehensive personal wellbeing and COVID-19 information. Thank you to Jodie and the entire office team for your hard work during this time. The Board is ultimately responsible for the health and wellbeing of all our staff, and we recognise the difficult working arrangements that COVID-19 continues to impose.
A huge highlight of the past year was the 27th Annual International Conference held in Brisbane and online as a hybrid meeting.
While I missed the face-to-face conference due to the lockdown restrictions, I was amazed again for a second year how well the presentations transfer to the virtual meeting format, and the learning continues. Congratulations and thank you to the convenors, the presenters, volunteers, and especially to the office events team for their dedication and hard work in making this such a success. A special part of the conference was the Awards event, where we were able to award the Pru Pratten Lifetime Achievement Award, along with the Awards of Excellence and recognise the new Fellows of the Association. Congratulations to this year’s Pru Pratten Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Mr Greg Lammers, who was recognised for his outstanding commitment to sonography throughout many years of service. Congratulations also to all award recipients.
The vision statement is the anchor point for our strategic plan and the revised statement well identifies our aspiration of ‘a healthier world through sonographer expertise’. A purpose statement describes the overarching reason that the company exists, how it should conduct itself and the impact it has on whom it is serving, ‘Fostering a sonography profession that delivers high quality ultrasound’
The ASA journal Sonography goes from strength to strength. In May 2021, the ASA was advised the journal had been accepted into the Web of Science Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI). This means that content from Sonography will be indexed by Clarivate and made available via the Web of Science interface. This increases discoverability and allows citation activity to be more closely tracked – an important step towards promotion into the Science Citation Index Expanded. Many thanks to our Editor-in-Chief, Dr Kerry Thoirs. As well, I would like to thank our foundational editor, Ms Glenda McLean, who pioneered and championed the journal for many years before handing over to Kerry.
For the ASA Board, this meant another year of virtual Board meetings, along with an online strategy planning day held in February. After a long span of Board consistency throughout the past year, there have been significant changes to its composition.
Longstanding member directors, Mr Steve Macintosh, Ms Erika Cavanagh, and Ms Sarah Colley resigned from the Board at the end of their terms in 2020, having provided many years of wisdom and leadership to the ASA. In early 2021, Mr Silvano Paladino resigned from our Board, again a longstanding independent director who has invested multiple years of service in the Association.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, these directors received a virtual farewell, something that doesn’t celebrate or recognise the value the Association received from their respective work. Through the member elections in 2020, we welcomed Dr Narelle Kennedy, Mr Roger Lee, and Ms Rona Girdler as new member directors. As well, we are fortunate to have Ms Alexandra Bell join the Board as our new independent director this year, and I look forward to working with our new directors. I am personally very thankful that I work within a wellfunctioning board of directors with a diverse range of skills and experience. I would like to thank all our directors for their ongoing volunteering of time and energy, along with their commitment and willingness to invest in the Association.
While online Board meetings have challenges, the Board has achieved a great deal in the past 12 months. At the May hybrid conference this year, I announced the new strategic plan for 2021–2023, developed by the Board. This included a new vision and purpose statement. The vision statement is the anchor point for our strategic plan and the revised statement well identifies our aspiration of ‘a healthier world through sonographer expertise’. A purpose statement describes the overarching reason that the company exists, how it should conduct itself and the impact it has on whom it is serving, ‘Fostering a sonography profession that delivers high quality ultrasound’.
This new strategic intent builds from the previous plans and provides clear direction and priorities for the ASA across the next 2 years. Key themes remain a part of our strategy, including our focus on sonographer advocacy through regulation, as well as our ongoing investment in research. A new exciting initiative is our drive to develop knowledge for and by members on new and emerging technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence in ultrasound. I am pleased to have received great positive feedback from many of you on the new strategy map.
As part of the Board’s key governance role, the Board has undertaken a review and revision of the Association’s constitution and governance charter. These documents have been updated to meet regulatory changes and best practice standards via the Board, as well as external specialists – important changes for fundamental documents of the Association – and thank you to the Board directors involved.
As we look to the coming year, I take hope in the increasing vaccination rates across our communities in Australia and New Zealand, where in 2022 our work and personal lives may return to some normality. Sonographers in all clinical areas are really important to patient health and disease management, and this important work continues whether in COVID-19 lockdowns or not. Your Association is well resourced and highly active in supporting our members in so many ways. I look forward to speaking with you again, hopefully face to face.
