The report of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee for Review and Evaluation of the Medical Use Program of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was made public in December 1995. The report is 255 pages, and among its 16 faculty members is Barry L. Zaret, MD, Editor-in-Chief of the JOURNAL. The report recommends removing the regulatory authority from the NRC, shifting federal guidance to the DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services), and delegating regulatory responsibility for byproduct materials to the states with the proviso that only licensed users would have access to byproduct materials. ASNC, SNM, and ACNP endorsed the report.
The report by the Quality Assurance Committee (Ernest Garcia, PhD, Chairman) on the standardization of imaging protocols will be published in the May/June issue of the JOURNAL. Dr. Garcia's committee is already working on the second part of the report, which will include guidelines on interpretation and reporting.
This will be my last message as president; the next message will be written by my longtime friend, Mario S. Verani, MD. I will attempt to summarize the highlights of the accomplishments of ASNC during the past year in my message in the Newsletter. At this time I would like to thank Bill Nelligan, Dawn Edgerton, and Diana Lee, all of whom have done a tremendous job for us during my tenure as the chief officer of ASNC. Similarly I also acknowledge the staff of the JOURNAl, the ASNC Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, the members of the various committees and task forces, and the members at large, both in the United States and abroad. Thank you very much for your advice, suggestions, and efforts on behalf of ASNC. It is this unique blend of selfless sacrifices that has spurred the rapid growth of ASNC over such a short period of time. I am honored to have served as the third president, and I know that I will look back at this year with pride and satisfaction.
I wish you all and my successor continued growth and progress. May God bless you all!