Committees & Groups

Scientific & Education Committee

The Committee advises the Council on matters relating to the development, practice, teaching and monitoring of ultrasound in the various fields where it is used for clinical or research purposes and meets twice a year. Council appoints the chairman for a term of two years and the post holder is normally the President-Elect. The committee consists of the ASM Scientific Organising Chair and the Chairs of the Education, Professional Standards, Physics & Safety and Editorial Groups. The balance of the committee is made up of members of the four BMUS Special Interest Groups who can reflect the range of interests of the society. During each year, other members may be co-opted to the committee to compliment the membership in relation to the organisation of the content for the Annual Scientific Meeting. 

The S&E Committee is responsible for organising the Society’s ASM and study days as well as steering all BMUS online and print publications, including: the journal; newsletter; website; and information for the public. The committee works closely with the BMUS Journal Editor, BMUS Website Editor, and Development Officer to commission papers and to develop online Continuing Professional Development and educational resources. These publications are available to the membership through the website. The committee is also responsible for the accreditation of external educational events.

1. Education Group

The primary aim of the Education Group is to arrange scientific programmes relevant to the professional and educational needs of Society members for BMUS study days, a biennial Summer School, the Annual Scientific Meeting and to endorse the content of external educational courses seeking BMUS CPD points.  To answer questions related to ultrasound practice from BMUS members, other medical Societies and Colleges and the public and to advise Council on matters related to the development, practice, teaching and monitoring of ultrasound techniques.

The Group meets twice a year and submits written minutes and reports to Council following each meeting. This forum works closely with the Scientific & Education committee to ensure that all BMUS education is of a quality expected by the membership.

The work of this group is supported by the BMUS Sounding Board (see below for more information on this board). 

Education Group 2023

• Chair ~ Dr Peter Cantin, Consultant Sonographer, Plymouth
• Dr Richard Beese, Consultant Radiologist, Woolwich
• Mr Richard Brindley, Consultant Sonographer, Dudley
• Dr Annamaria Deganello, Consultant Radiologist, London
• Miss Alexandra Drought, Superintendant Sonographer, Isleworth
• Mrs Hazel Edwards, Sonographer, Leicester University Hospitals NHS Trust
• Miss Tanya Ewen, SVT representative (co-opted)
• Mrs Kerry Green, Consultant MSK Practitioner, Plymouth
• Dr Nigel Grunshaw, Consultant Radiologist, Barrow-in-Furness
• Mrs Khalida Jan, Consultant Sonographer, Stockton-on-Tees
• Mr Gerry Johnson, Consultant Radiographer / Sonographer, Manchester
• Mrs Catherine Kirkpatrick, Consultant Sonographer, Lincoln
• Dr Andrew Logan, ST3 Radiologist, London
• Mr Mark Maybury, NIHR BRC Birmigham Research Sonographer, Walmley
• Miss Aia Mehdi, Radiology registrar, London
• Mr Tim Palarm, AXrEM representative (co-opted)
• Miss Sarah Pennant, Sonographer, London
• Mrs Ruth Reeve, Sonographer, Portsmouth 
• Mrs Eimear Robinson, Lead SonographerManchester
• Mrs Borsha Sarker, Sonographer, Leeds
• Ms Shaunna Smith, Sonographer, Hull
• Dr Mike Smith, COP representative (co-opted)
• Mrs Cathy Stewart, Sonographer, Marlow
• Dr Barry Ward, Clincial Scientist, Newcastle
• Dr Adrian Wong, Consultant Radiologist, London

2. Professional Standards Group

The primary aim of the Professional Standards Group (PSG) is to develop standards relevant to ultrasound practice.  The group has been developed by BMUS in response to a perceived need for standards in several areas in order to ensure safe and best practice.

These include:

• criteria for referral for ultrasound
• image and reporting quality
• equipment performance including criteria for suspension

The Group meets twice a year and submits written minutes and reports to Council following each meeting. This forum works closely with the Scientific & Education committee to ensure that all BMUS standards / guidelines are of a quality expected by the membership.

The Chair is appointed for 2 years and the group works under the remit of the Development Officer for BMUS Council.  To ensure that all specialities within ultrasound are represented the balance of the Committee is formed by at least one of the following specialties  - Consultant Radiologist, Sonographer (specialising in general medical ultrasound), Educationalist, Physicist / Speciality sonographer / consultant sonographer who serve a minimum of two years.

Professional Standards Group 2023

• Chair - Mrs Catherine Kirkpatrick, Consultant Sonographer, Lincoln
• Dr Peter Cantin, Consultant Sonographer, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust
• Mr Mark Charnock, MSK Specialist Sonographer, Northern General Hosptial
• Miss Alexandra Drought, Superintendant Sonographer, Isleworth
• Mrs Hazel Edwards, BMUS Professiona Officer, Leicestershire
• Mrs Farrah Elsaghir, Lecturer, AECC University College
• Mrs Helen French, Sonographer Ken
• Mr Colin Griffin, Consultant Sonographer, Merseyside
• Dr Nigel Grunshaw, Consultant Radiologist, Barrow-in-Furness
• Mrs Alison Hall, Consultant Sonographer, Keele University
• Mrs Gill Harrison, Society and College of Radiographers (co-opted)
• Dr Chris Harvey, Radiologist, London
• Mr Gerry Johnson, Consultant Sonographer, Tameside Hospitals Trust
• Mr Stephen Moore, Sonographer, Glasgow
• Ms Amanda Parry, Advanced Ultrasound Practitioner, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
• Miss Sarah Pennant, Sonographer, London
• Mrs Ruth Reeve, Advanced Practitioner Sonographer, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
• Dr Mike Smith, Physiopherapist / Sonographer, Cardiff University
• Mrs Morag Stout, Consultant Sonographer, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow

Special Advisers to the Group:

• Dr Trish Chudleigh, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals
• Mrs Jeanette Kraft, Consultant Paediatric Radiologist, Leeds Children's Hospital

3. Physics & Safety Group

In 1998 a safety group was set up to advise the membership on safety issues in ultrasound and to make recommendations to them. The group consists of, at most, 6 members, of whom one must be a medical practitioner, one a sonographer and one a scientist. The Physics & Safety group's remit is to provide informed advice to the President and Council of BMUS on matters of ultrasound safety, to inform the BMUS membership about safety issues, and to be a focus for action in the UK in matters of ultrasound safety. In addition it reviews the current literature on safety matters. The Physics & Safety group regularly publishes a statement on the "Safe use, and potential hazards of diagnostic ultrasound", and has produced two guidelines one on "Safety for trainees using live subjects", and a second for the "Safe use of diagnostic equipment". This second Guideline document includes guidance on the use of the safety indices (thermal index and mechanical index) that are displayed on modern imaging equipment, and contains a rationale for the recommendations made. These documents are available on the BMUS website, and have been published in the BMUS Bulletin.

The Group meets twice a year and submits written minutes and reports to Council following each meeting. This forum works closely with the Scientific & Education committee to ensure that all BMUS publications on safety are of a quality expected by the membership.

Physics & Safety Group 2023

• Chair ~ Dr Prashant Verma, Principal Clinical Scientist, Sheffield
• Prof Chistoph Lees, Obstetrician, London
• Dr Piero Miloro, Research Scientist, Teddington
• Dr Caroline Shaw, Imperial College London
• Mr Ben Stenberg, Sonographer, Newcastle
• Prof Gail ter Haar, Physicist, Sutton
• Mr David Rowland, Clinical Scientist - Ultrasound Physics - The Christie NHS foundation Trust

4. Editorial Group

Ultrasound is the BMUS journal; it publishes research, best practice, reviews, educational articles, professional guidelines, and case reports covering all aspects of medical ultrasound.  Editorial Group members provide advice on the strategic direction of the journal and actively support the commissioning of articles and peer review process covering their area of expertise. The Editorial Group work closely with the publisher’s production team to ensure that all submissions meet ethical standards, and are subject to rigorous and impartial peer review prior to publication.

The aims of the group include, to oversee editorial control of the BMUS Journal, to initiate ideas for possible new publications, to evaluate ideas for publication submitted by other members and committees of BMUS, to plan and oversee the production of all BMUS publications and to oversee the development of electronic publications

The Group meets twice a year and submits written minutes and reports to Council following each meeting. This forum works closely with the Scientific & Education committee to ensure that all BMUS publications are of a quality expected by the membership.

The term of office for the Editor-in-Chief and Deputy Editors is two years and however this can be extended to a total of four years by mutual agreement.

Editorial Group 2023

• Editor-in-Chief ~ Mr Colin Griffin, Royal Liverpool University Hospital
• Deputy Journal Editor ~ Mr Stavros Daoukas, London South Bank University
• Deputy Journal Editor ~ Dr Nick Dudley, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust
• Deputy Journal Editor ~ Dr Pauline Mitchell, University of Leeds
• Deputy Journal Editor ~ Ms Penny Moores, James Paget University Hospital, Great Yarmouth
• Deputy Journal Editor ~ Mr David Oxborough, Liverpool John Moores University
• Deputy Journal Editor (International) ~ Dr Timothy Canavan, University of Pittsburgh, USA

The members of the editorial board of Ultrasound are invited from the membership of the society and prominent experts in the field of Ultrasound world wide. They reflect and represent the diverse backgrounds of the membership of the society, for example, Radiologists, Sonographers and Physicists. The role of the editorial board of Ultrasound is to provide support for the Editor in that they give expert advice in their fields, commission articles for the journal and review submitted papers. They have a tenure of 3-6 years. 

Editorial Board 2022

• Dr Shivram Avula, Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool, UK
• Dr Peter Cantin, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, UK
• Dr Keith Chiu, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong
• Dr Emma Chung, University of Leicester, UK
• Mr Sean Cournane, St James Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
• Dr Chris de Korte, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, The Netherlands
• Mrs Ellen Dyer, Rosie Hospital, Cambridge, UK
• Dr Cheng Fang, King's College Hospital, London, UK
• Dr Chris Harvey, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
• Prof Peter Hoskins, Physicist, Edinburgh, UK
• Dr Bob Jarman, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, UK
• Mr Gerry Johnson, Tameside Hospital, Greater Manchester, UK
• Dr Prathap Kanagala, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Trust, Liverpool, UK
• Professor Won Jae Lee, Samsung Medical Centre, Korea
• Professor Adrian Lim, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, UK
• Dr Kevin Martin, University of Leicester & University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust, UK
• Dr Nikos Milliaropoulos, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK 
• Mr Kalayana Murali, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, UK
• Professor Richard McWilliams, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, UK
• Dr Debbie Nisbet, Royal Women’s Hospital, Victoria, Australia
• Mrs Pam Parker, Hull & East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, UK
• Miss Shalini Patni, Birmingham Heartland Hospital, Birmingham, UK
• Dr Neelam Potdar, University Hospital Leicester NHS Trust, UK
• Dr Trudy Sevens, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK
• Professor Paul Sidhu, King's College Hospital, London, UK
• Mr Richard Simpson, Nottingham University Hospital, UK
• Mr Sean Tenant, Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
• Ms Samantha Thomas, Sydney University, Australia
• Dr Nanda Venkatanarasimha, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore
• Mrs Lorraine Walsh, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham, UK
• Mr Asoka Weerasinghe, Dewsbury DGH, UK
• Dr Adrian Wong, King's College Hospital, London, UK

5. Sounding Board

Set up in 2018 to improve the engagement with BMUS members the sounding board supports the work of all BMUS committees and links in to the education committee. Any BMUS member can be a member of the Sounding Board. The role of the board is; 

• Be an advocate of BMUS
• Website review project
• Social media interaction – each member should engage regularly in their preferred social media (twitter, facebook or linkedin). By engagement we mean, liking, sharing and commenting where appropriate.
• Contribute to BMUS information sharing features such as Top Tips articles, Case of the Month
• Respond to BMUS surveys and polls when they take place
• Be a Consultation group: the various committees may ask for advice and opinion as to potential future projects /ideas for BMUS

The full terms of reference can be found here.