Julie Kirst, Editor

A few months ago, the buzz on the Biomedtalk listserv was all about women—”No offense, but there are some of us women out here too, guys.” Not an exact quote, but you get the idea. From those postings, I began to receive e-mails from both male and female biomeds and managers of departments suggesting we cover women in the field. Following up on this excellent idea, I put out a call for some suggestions, and I’m happy to say we are featuring some of those women this month.

Some high compliments were paid to these female biomeds in the e-mails I received. Christopher M. Bryant, a BMET at the VAMC in North Chicago, said, “we should promote the idea that women are a great asset to this profession and have helped shape it: like Mary Coker in the 24×7 August 2009 META article. One very special woman in the biomed field is my engineer, Barbara Lavin.” He went on to extol her virtues and ended by saying, “We could not be half as efficient without her.”

Melvin Vazquez, a senior BMET at Umass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Mass, wrote about his “outstanding” director, Terri Crofts. He added that Terri is married and has three children, and he “can’t imagine the challenging job she has as a wife and mother and director of our department.”

Mark Conrad, president and founder of Conquest Imaging, wanted to alert me to the fact that there are also many women in field service, and he sent in his accolades for Beth Morrison and Corinne Johnson, who have been field service engineers at Conquest for more than 5 years.

These are certainly not the only women working in the field, or even all of those who responded or who were suggested by their colleagues. Unfortunately, we just didn’t have space to cover everyone, so you’ll see some covered in other issues. Cynthia A. Ray, a CBET at Albany Memorial Hospital in New York, for example, has an interesting story that she’ll share in an upcoming “Soapbox.”

Other women 24×7 has covered in the past include Vickie Snyder, Karen Waninger, Tamara J. BeAbout, Sanya Bird, and clinical engineer Izabella A. Gieras, past president of the American College of Clinical Engineering (ACCE). There are also many working women who also support associations and organizations such as clinical engineers Jennifer L. Jackson, current ACCE president, and Barbara Maguire. Even if you were not mentioned or covered in this issue, your contribution is valued, and we hope to hear from more women whom we will continue to feature in our articles.

As we head into the holiday season some of you may also be heading to the annual Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) show in Chicago, November 29 through December 4. RSNA 2009 offers educational opportunities in every subspecialty and in different formats, such as case-based reviews, hands-on workshops, and self-study exhibits, and it will have the latest in radiology equipment on display.

Some of you may also make your way to the 31st annual symposium of the North Carolina Biomedical Association from December 7 through December 9. At a new location this year, it will feature diverse educational tracks and speakers, an exhibit hall with the tools you need for success, and its annual golf tournament. If you attend NCBA, look for us at 24×7’s booth—we will see you there!

Julie Kirst