Description of American Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine
The AAEM was founded in 1953 and incorporated in 1959 in Rochester, Minnesota, as a nonprofit organization under the name of the American Association of Electromyography and Electrodiagnosis (changed to the current name in 1989). Its stated goal at that time was to increase and extend, as widely as possible, the knowledge of electromyography and electrodiagnosis and to promote the professional association of those physicians and surgeons most interested in electromyography and electrodiagnosis. The American Association of Electromyography and Electrodiagnosis was conceived at an advisability meeting held at the Shirley-Savoy Hotel in Denver, Colorado, September 6, 1951, under the chairmanship of Dr. James G. Golseth. Twenty-three physicians attended this meeting. The formal organizational meeting was then held on August 29, 1953, at the Palmer House in Chicago, Illinois, also under the chairmanship of Dr. Golseth. Twenty-one physicians (16 in person and 5 by proxy) attended this meeting, adopted a constitution, elected officers and a council, and made plans for future meetings. In 1973, Mrs. Gisela Wiederholt began assisting the AAEM's Secretary-Treasurer with the increasing workload as a part-time secretary and was hired as the association's first Executive Secretary in November 1976. She handled association matters out of her home until April 1979 when the association first rented space and established its official headquarters in Rochester, Minnesota. At that time, there were 807 members, and Mrs. Ella M. VanLaningham was hired as the AAEM's Executive Secretary; her title was changed to Executive Director in 1984. Mrs. VanLaningham retired in February 1995 and was replaced by Ms. Shirlyn A. Adkins, J.D., who had been the AAEM's Associate Executive Director. The membership then totaled 3750. The first annual scientific session was held in September 1954 at the Hotel Statler in Washington, D.C., with Dr. Golseth as President, and the first continuing education course was held in October 1978 in St. Louis, Missouri. The workshops were initiated in May 1984 in Chicago, Illinois and the dinner seminars were added in September 1991 in Vancouver, British Columbia. A special symposium has been held periodically in conjunction with the meeting. Beginning in 1982, and in 1988 and 1993, a joint symposium was held in conjunction with a back-to-back meeting with the American Electroencephalographic Society now known as the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society. The minimonograph series was begun in 1976, case reports in 1980, and the educational videotape library in 1984. The association published its first set of guidelines in 1979, its first glossary in 1980, and its first practice parameters in 1989. The official journal of the association is Muscle & Nerve. The first contract with the publisher, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., was signed on October 8, 1982, to become effective in January 1983. The contract was renegotiated in 1993 and a new contract was approved effective January 1, 1994, through December 31, 2003. Dr. Walter G. Bradley was Editor until 1988 when he was replaced by Dr. Jun Kimura. In 1998, Dr. Michael J. Aminoff assumed the position of Editor. The first newsletter of the association was mailed to members in February 1955 with Dr. Y. T. Oester as Editor, and in 1982, was incorporated into Muscle & Nerve as a regular feature titled News and Comments. In September 1993, the association established the newsletter, Positive Waves, with Dr. John C. Kincaid as Editor. Dr. Peter A. Grant became Editor in 1998. The concept of an examination was discussed as early as 1963 and the first examination was administered on a trial basis in 1967, to a group of 26 candidates. The committee that organized the effort was chaired by Dr. Joseph Goodgold. The association perceived the examination as being primarily an educational experience for candidates and identified successful candidates as being active members by examination. To this end, the association devoted substantial time and effort in developing an objective, well-recognized examination by which interested individuals could enhance their learning experiences. At the 1987 Annual Business Meeting, members approved the establishment of the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine (ABEM) as an independent credentialing body in electrodiagnostic medicine. Although organized and operated as a committee of the AAEM for administrative purposes, the ABEM was structured as a self-perpetuating Board to be completely autonomous for purposes of credentialing criteria and procedures. Dr. Austin J. Sumner was selected as the first Board Chair and the ABEM held its first examination in April 1989. In October 1992, the Board of Directors approved selection of the National Museum of Health and Medicine, located in the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C., as the repository for a collection of early electrodiagnostic equipment, and the Historical Committee began a search for items to be included in the collection. The AAEM entered the electronic era in 1994. On July 15, 1994, the Executive Office sent its first electronic mail message to Dr. Les Dorfman, 1993-1996 Secretary-Treasurer. In early 1995, Dr. Neil A. Busis created an AAEM Web Site for the Internet. The site is currently located at www.aaem.net. The AAEM Foundation for Research and Education was incorporated in 1995 as a supporting charitable nonprofit organization of the AAEM to carry out the charitable, educational, and scientific activities of the AAEM. The Foundation's stated goals include improving patient care and the quality of life, the promotion and advancement of educational and scientific research, and the advancement of public understanding of disorders of the central and peripheral nervous systems, neuromuscular junction, and skeletal muscles. The Foundation's Board of Directors is composed of the voting Board members of the AAEM. Monies collected by the Foundation are intended to be used for funding of research, grants to junior members for educational meetings, an electrodiagnostic medicine exhibit at the National Museum of Health and Medicine, and other charitable, educational, and scientific purposes.
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