IncorporationThe AANEM 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 (the name changed to the American Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine in 1989 and to its current name in 2004). 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. Staff LeadershipIn 1973, Mrs. Gisela Wiederholt began assisting the AANEM’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 AANEM’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 AANEM’s Associate Executive Director. The membership then totaled 3750. The AANEM Board authorized the Executive Director to purchase land and build an office for the AANEM. The building was completed in October 2006. EducationThe first annual scientific session was held in September 1954 at the Hotel Statler in Washington, DC, 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 Guidelines in 1989. Podcasts were added to the AANEM’s educational offerings in 2007 by Dr. Ted Burns. Muscle & NerveThe 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 from 1983-1988. He was followed by Dr. Jun Kimura (1988-1998), Dr. Michael J. Aminoff (1998-2008), Dr. Lawrence H. Phillips, II (2008-present) NewslettersThe 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. Foundation Notes was created in 1997 to provide updates on the AANEM’s Foundation for Research and Education. An advocacy based newsletter, Practice Topics, was introduced in November 2000. In January 2008, the AANEM launched AANEM News. This newsletter combined all the newsletters into one and added science and marketing information. ABEMThe 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 AANEM 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. MuseumIn 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, DC, as the repository for a collection of early electrodiagnostic equipment. The Board had hoped to create a museum display. Plans were drawn and notices were sent to members to raise funds for the display. Due to lack of funding, the museum display was not created. Name ChangeThe idea of changing the name of the organization to better meet the needs of its members first arose in a letter submitted to the Board in 1997. In the letter, several former leaders of the organization urged the Board to consider expanding the scope of the organization. They pointed to the maturing of clinical neurophysiology as a discipline and the organization’s dependency on one technology as reasons for their concern. They also noted the rising threat to patient access posed by changing healthcare economics. The letter began a 7-year process of examining how the organization should position itself for the future. The Board took a major step in 2000 when it recommended, with the membership’s approval, to change the mission statement of the organization. The statement was broadened to indicate that the purpose of the organization was “to serve physicians who diagnose and treat patients with disorders of muscle and nerve, extend the knowledge of electrodiagnostic medicine, and improve the quality of patient care.” The Board achieved another milestone when it voted unanimously in the summer of 2004 to change the organization’s name. Board members believed that a new name including the term “neuromuscular medicine” would best position the organization for the future. Members also believed that a window of opportunity existed in which neuromuscular medicine could be defined to encompass the broad spectrum of our current and future members’ practices – musculoskeletal, muscle biopsy, ultrasound, gene therapy, rehabilitation, imaging, and more. The movement to rename the organization reached its conclusion at the 2004 annual scientific meeting in Savannah, Georgia, when the membership approved a new name—the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine. TechnologyThe association 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 a website for the association. In 2002, the AANEM conducted a major upgrade to the website creating online meeting registration, an online directory, and dues payment system. Electonic email announcements became an important vehicle for communicating with the members in early 2003. FoundationThe AANEM Foundation for Research and Education was incorporated in 1995 as the AAEM Foundation for Research and Education. It was established as a supporting charitable nonprofit organization of the AANEM to carry out the charitable, educational, and scientific activities of the AANEM. The name changed in 2004 to reflect the expanded mission of the association. 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 AANEM. Monies collected by the Foundation are intended to be used for funding of research, grants to junior members and international physicians to attend educational meetings and for other charitable, educational, and scientific purposes. AdvocacyThe AANEM’s advocacy efforts increased in the 1990s. On April 8, 1994, in Chicago, Illinois 43 experts met and created what was known then as the Indian document. It was in response to an Indiana Medicare providers position on EMG. The document was later revised and became the AANEM Recommended Policy for Electrodiagnostic Medicine. A document based on this position statement was published in 2006, Proper Performance and Interpretation of Electrodiagnostic Studies. These two documents were used by many carriers to create their EDX policies. The AANEM in December 2005 passed a law in Michigan making EDX the practice of medicine. AccreditationThe AANEM Board began discussing the need for a process to accredit laboratories in spring 2004. The program will be approved and launched in 2008. |
