It has been a busy year for the CSBI. As you are likely aware, we have reached beyond the 100 mark for membership. Last December 2018 we reached 116 CSBI members. We now have our own website and social media presence on Twitter, which is helping with exposure. I am proud to share on behalf of the CSBI board some highlights of accomplishments and upcoming events.
CSBI Conference
Our annual conference will feature globally recognized speakers and will attract radiologists, technologists, physicists, physicians and patients from across Canada. Last year we were fortunate in having 130 delegates and are hoping for an even larger turn out in Quebec City, May 18-19, 2019. Our annual event will be held in conjunction with the SRQ and will allow delegates the opportunity to register for both events. Highlights will include breast imaging workshops, panel discussion on supplemental screening for Dense Breasts as well as keynote talks from Dr. Wendie Berg and Dr. Catherine Collin who will speak about personalized screening and breast ultrasound.
This is your premier event for breast imaging CPD and will offer plenty of opportunity to network with your peers. There are limited spots available for the Tomography and Breast Imaging Workshops, therefore early registration is encouraged. In fact, the early bird deadline is coming to a close on March 1st. After this the cost of attending goes up a $100.
Partnership
We are pleased to announce that CSBI has recently entered into a four-year partnership with Christie Innomed, who will invest in education at our annual event and throughout the year in different jurisdictions. This partnership will help the society to flourish. This alone, is not enough: however. We need additional support and more members. As a loyal supporter of the CSBI we need for you to renew your membership and to encourage your colleagues to register.
What can you look forward to this year?
The CSBI board will be expanding. In the fall of 2018, the board invited a mammography technologist, Stephanie Schofield, from Nova Scotia, to be part of the team. She has experience in quality improvement and sits on the CAMRT Professional Practice Committee. She is also the Chair of their Mammography group. Stephanie has been a tremendous asset for CSBI in helping to determine what technologists need.
The CSBI has also invited two patient advisors/liaison members to be part of the board, both of whom come with experience with breast cancer, they include: Sue Peters, Quality Improvement Specialist, from Alberta, and Dr. Natalie Mills, a Coroner and Family Physician from Ottawa.
CTFPHC Guidelines – position statement and on-going advocacy
If you are paying attention to the news you may have seen that the CSBI provided strong leadership in opposition of the Dec 2018 Canadian Task Force on Preventive Healthcare (CTFPHC) Guidelines. CSBI issued a position statement to summarize the reasons for opposition. This was distributed via email to the CSBI members on Dec 10, and 13, 2018. CSBI lobbied hard against the guidelines, requesting that the CAR publicly oppose the updated guidelines. The CAR provided their endorsement on Feb 8, 2019. Their statement has been released and shared with the Federal Minister of Health as well as Public Health Agency of Canada. CTV Ottawa News interviewed Paula Gordon and I about the harm of the new guidelines, Jan. 17, 2019 and received over 20,000 views. I invite you to check out the interview online on CTV Ottawa.
Advocacy – amplifying your voice on Parliament Hill
On February 26 I will have the opportunity meet members of parliament along with CAR board members to talk about the opposition to the CTFPHC guidelines. Other members of CSBI are also working to register official opposition to the guidelines with their respective provincial ministers of health. Hopefully this will pave the way for change. The CSBI continues to pursue these guidelines in an effort to safeguard patients.
The CSBI was also consulted regarding the new requirements for mammogram reads. The CSBI supports the change by CAR/MAP to increase the minimum number of mammograms to 1000 and to providing education webinars to radiologists across Canada.
The CSBI has made great strides and continues to grow as an association. The mission for the organization is to reach a goal of 300 members by 2021 and to have a successful annual event with up to 200 registrants by 2020. We need your help.
We invite you to renew your commitment today and encourage your colleagues to become members. The larger the society, the more we can benefit breast imaging in Canada. It is the CSBI’s mission to offer valuable education to you, our members and to become the subject matter expert on breast imaging in Canada. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge the tremendous efforts of your Board of Directors, as listed below as well as the CAR staff for helping to raise awareness for the CSBI.
Dr. Jean Seely
President
CSBI Board Members: Dr. Jean Seely, Dr. Shiela Apaavoo, Dr. Nancy Wadden, Dr. Yves Loisel, Dr. Anabel Scaranelo and Stephanie Schofield