Past Presidents:

Dr Gurjit Kaeley 2009-2012

Dr Amy Evalngelisto 2012-2014

Dr Eugene Kissin 2014-2016

Dr Jay Higgs  2016-2018

Dr Paul DeMarco  2018-2020

Dr Karina Torralba  2020-2023

Dr. Minna Kohler 2023-

Our Story

ACR Annual Meeting - 2005

• Focus group of Rheumatologists interested in MSK-US formed.
• Initially named ARGUS – but due to name conflicts, changed to MSK-USS.ORG
• Mission included furthering training, practice standards and research in MSK-US amongst Rheumatologists.
• Website MSK-USS.ORG created
  

Washington D.C - 2006

• Work on bylaws began
• Steering committee formed
• Mission statement formalized with membership polling
• Utilization of MSK-US survey conducted on members
• Group started addressing training, credentialing in view of other organizations moving to mandate guidelines. (AIUM)
• Certification and Credentialing
• No consensus achieved
• Fears of regulation without benefit among some members

Boston - 2007

• First collaborative research effort – Boston exercise.
• Does self training work?
• ACR Ultrasound Task Force Convened – Robert Ike MD, Chair
• Certification and credentialing
• Discussion regarding minimum requirements
• Lobbying efforts to prevent draconian requirements
• Discussion of developing consensus statements for Rheumatological practice of musculoskeletal ultrasound

San Francisco - 2008

• Participation in Omeract, Canada.
• Collaborative Projects
• International Enthesis Exercise, Walnut Creek, CA.
• Intermachine Achilles tendon variability study, Seattle, WA, October 2008.
• Fellows Ultrasound Education Project Started.
• Developing evidence base for training in MSK-US
• 1st Fellows Course – Rochester, NY. (Ralf Thiele MD, Darren Tabechian MD)
• Survey of use of ultrasound amongst ACR members presented by Jonathan Samuels MD.
• Disparate coverage policies by insurers starting to be identified.
• Medicare proposal to limit in office imaging did not apply to US.

Philadelphia - 2009

• Initial work on normal ultrasound atlas – (Ralf Thiele MD, Janak Goyal MD, Eugene Kissin MD, Gurjit S Kaeley MBBS).
• Rheumatology Fellow US Curriculum (Jay Higgs MD)
• Initial phase of non-for profit organization under NAOI umbrella.
• Funding obtained
• USSONAR (Ultrasound School of North American Rheumatologists) created.
• MSK-USS.ORG remained as website.
• Bylaws created (John Davies MD, Shelby Dames MD)
• Elections held and board elected
• Corporate Membership - Amgen
• Second year of USSONAR Fellow Education Program.
• Fellows Course – UF Jacksonville
• Practical and written exam in Boston, MA

Atlanta - 2010  

• USSONAR Fellows Program – 3RD Year
• Eugene Kissin MD receives ACR REF funding
• Creation and launch of USSONAR Fellows Web Portal
• Fellows Course UF Jacksonville, FL
• Practical and written exam in Boston, MA
• Work on establishing passing standards on written exams
• ACR Advocacy through society members
• SOTA Workshops
• Standalone ACR Courses – FIRST PRE ACR MSK-US course
• ACR Taskforce on certification - Chair, Ralf Thiele MD
• Collaborative Publications
• ACR Task Force Report – (Robert Ike MD et al)
• Self directed learning paper – (Eugene Kissin MD et al)
• Use of ultrasound in the USA – (Jonathan Samuels MD et al)
• Eular Textbook – (Edited by Richard Wakefied MD and M. D’Agostino MD)
• Research
• Members involved in three USA Pharma RA trials involving ultrasound
• Billing problems further concern
• Lobbying ACR to publish statement on use of MSK-US by Rheumatologists
• (Amy Evangelisto MD, Jane Nishio MD)
• Political committee expanded to include Paul DeMarco MD in addition to Dan Malone MD
• Active coordination with industry

Chicago - 2011

• USSONAR Fellows Program – 4th Year
• Further enhancement of USSONAR Fellows Web Portal
• Fellows Course UF Jacksonville, FL
• ACR – USSONAR Educator Program – 1st Year.
• ACR Advocacy through society members
• SOTA Workshops and course.
• Standalone ACR Courses – 2nd PRE ACR MSK-US course.
• ACR Taskforce on certification - recommendations for certification made, taskforce disbanded. Chair, Ralf Thiele MD
• ACR Appropriateness task force convened. Chair, Tim McAlindon MD
• Continued Collaborative Participation
• GRAPPA, CRUS, AIUM, OMERACT
• SUSME and 1st World Congress of Ultrasound in Medical Education
• Billing
• Problems in northeast of further concern – Active involvement of members such as Paul DeMarco MD
• Active coordination with industry
• Medicare introduces new diagnostic codes. Definitions of complete and limited scans problematic.
• Members submit case scenarios to ACR / CORC.
• Certification and Credentialing
• ACR Board decision deferred pending further investigation into feasibility
• ARDMS certification exam in MSK-US.
• JTA has completed its work and is disbanded
• Item writing has began

Washington D.C. - 2012

• Dr Ralf Thiele MD, stepped down from USSONAR Board to work on ACR Committee to create the RhMSUS certification process.
• Before this a rheumatology specific musculoskeletal ultrasound certificate did not exist with alternative only being through AIUM or ARDMS.
• Other USSONAR members participated in the development of the first RhMSUS written examination.
• Concern over CMS scrutiny of outpatient diagnostic ultrasound reimbursement was important as rheumatologists shared billing codes with podiatrists, PM&R and orthopedics.
• Diagnostic codes encompassing inflammatory rheumatic disease evaluation did not exist.
• The RhMSUS certificate was seen as a first step in acknowledging the unique application of ultrasound by rheumatologists
• The Fundamentals program continued to thrive with participation by many rheumatology educators.
• Pediatric rheumatology ultrasound was introduced as an unfulfilled educational need by Dr. Johannes Roth.

San Diego, CA - 2013

• The fundamentals program was opened to all post fellowship rheumatologists. Pediatric fellows were included in the program.
• Interest in USSONAR training attracted interest from Russia and England.
• Members of USSONAR continued to work in OMERACT subcommittees.

Annual meeting Boston - 2014

• 53 US Rheumatology Fellowship Programs participated
• USSONAR members participated in the Gout exercise
• CMS introduced a bundled joint injection code for the first time.
• USSONAR members advocated for non radiologist use of point of care ultrasound.

San Francisco, CA - 2015

• Gene Kissin president to 2016
• Dr Karina Torralba completed a survey of ultrasound education among
• US RHeumatology Program Directors showing 96% of programs offered some type of ultrasound education.

Washington D.C. - 2016

• Minna Kohler MD RhMSUS publishes the 1st U.S. rheumatology musculoskeletal ultrasound book with USSONAR experts writing all chapters.Dr Karina Torralba completed a survey of ultrasound education among.

Sand Diego, CA - 2017

• First Advanced MSK Ultrasound Course Santa Fe, NM
• USSONAR member Amy Cannella presented a fellowship ultrasound curriculum to the ACR
• TABU study started

Chicago, IL - 2018

• 2nd Advanced Topics in Rheumatic Ultrasound CME Course Snowbird, UT chaired by Karina Torralba, Jane Nishio and Catherine Bakewell.
• Multiple abstracts were accepted for inclusion at the ACR Annual meeting by USSONAR members including the TABU study.

2020

• USSONAR 4th Annual Updates in Advanced Rheumatologic Ultrasound Course, held virtually 
• 4th Annual Adventures in Ultrasound Grand Rounds Series held virtually focusing on medial ankle, lateral ankle, Achilles region, ankle joint, Plantar fascia, midfoot and digits

2021

• Held Fundamentals Hands-On MSK Course and final exam, virtually for the first time
• Held 5th Annual Adventures in Ultrasound and Grand Round Series

2022

• USSONAR Advanced Skills Professional Development Course held in Los Angeles, CA 

2023

2024

2025