Since its inception in 1956 the Society of Nuclear Medicine (& Molecular Imaging) has represented the interests of the Nuclear Medicine community; physicians, scientists, pharmacologists, technologists, industry, students, etc. Never before has this role been so challenged...by regulations, reimbursement, competition, qualifications, job market, utilization...to name a few. It is frankly, quite intimidating. An organization, such as the SNMMI, strength is a measure of the individuals comprising it, and although there continues to be outstanding individuals within our organization, there is a dwindling involvement by many of those that continue to make a living in Nuclear Medicine. We have seen a long-term trend of declining membership and participation, the perpetuation of which threatens us as a specialty. Just since 2010 there was a national decline in SNMMI full members of 11%, and technologists of 7%. Although not staggering, a mathematician is not required to see where this will lead. Meeting attendance has also declined considerably over this duration. Annual SEC meetings just a few years ago regularly drew over 300 attendees, while only 172 attended our 2014 meeting in Orlando. 

...So what can be done. Firstly, we cannot just talk about this amongst ourselves. We must appeal to the sense of obligation and fellowship in those who are the non-participants or the non-members who make their living in  Nuclear Medicine. Everyone must understand that "our" small speciality cannot flourish or potentially even survive long-term in the absence of broad involvement. What can we as individuals do? We can make it a personal goal to identify and recruit new members, with a goal of recruiting at least one new person to join SNMMI, or one new attendee to our annual meeting. When applying your sales pitch, consider what the SNMMI and Nuclear Medicine has meant to you and what it has done for you in your career. The fact that the annual SEC meeting this year is to be held in charming and historic Charleston, S.C. in October should facilitate the task. Dr. Bennett Greenspan and the program committee has been working diligently to put together an exceptional meeting.

If so much is wrong, then what is right in our world? Fortunately many things. The Southeast chapter continues to be among the strongest of chapters in membership, contributions to national leadership and boasts a robust financial picture, thanks in large part to the work of past president Dr. Daniel Lee and Dr. Haydn Williams, chair of the finance committee. We have had an excellent run with our current executive leadership, Merle and Gen Hedland, of Bacon-Hedland Management, and they have been retained for the foreseeable future. The SNNMI national annual meeting this year is in Baltimore, MD, in June, near the famed Inner Harbor. The SNMMI is sponsoring a task force to bring together the FDA and CMS in their definitions of "efficacy" and "benefit", which has been an obstacle to reimbursement for new radiopharmaceutical agents or new indications for existing agents. The SNMMI has recognized the importance of and is addressing "Appropriate Use Criteria" for Nuclear Medicine procedures, which currently only exists for beta amyloid imaging, and is vital to new and continued reimbursement. The ACR & SNMMI have approved a joint credentialing statement for PET/MR of brain. The announcement for the forthcoming CED (Coverage with Evidence Determination) trial for beta amyloid imaging should have occurred by the time this is published. Of course, there are many more positive things occurring in Nuclear Medicine at this time, and I have only mentioned a few.

So please consider our future and we WILL look forward to seeing you (and a friend) at upcoming meetings.