Abstract
This is a very special issue of the Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography. It represents the culmination of nearly two years of work by the first graduating class of the Sonography Research Institute. The Institute was created in 2012 by the SDMS Foundation to support young investigator sonographers 1 ; clinical sonographers without paper-writing or publishing experience but with an idea for an original research project that would advance the science of sonography. Each of the six young sonographer investigators highlighted in this issue was paired with a mentor throughout their project. They formulated their hypotheses, designed their studies, received all the necessary Institutional Review Board approvals, collected and analyzed the data, and wrote the articles that comprise this issue. They selected a wide variety of topics, including the epidemiology of breast cancer, the significance of a single umbilical artery, predictors of patent ductus arteriosus closure, sonographic surveillance of aortic aneurysm endovascular stent grafts, visualization of deep vein thrombosis, and uterine artery Doppler waveform evaluation. One of these studies, evaluating PDA closure, has already led to a companion article utilizing the data collected to generate a physiologic marker that is in use clinically and will be evaluated further in a large multicenter trial.
The best part of this issue is that it is just the beginning. While each of the young investigator’s articles represent the end result of six very specific research projects, they also represent the start of the development of a generation of sonographer researchers. With the support of the SDMS Foundation and outside sponsors, the Sonography Research Institute will move forward to continue to train young sonographers to rigorously investigate clinical questions that will advance the profession. More young investigators will be mentored through the research process of hypothesis, study design, data collection and analysis, and the writing of the final manuscript. This issue of the journal proves it can be done successfully by full-time clinical sonographers just like the vast majority of our readers. So put on your thinking cap! Think about what we don’t know but might be able to learn with a well-designed research study. Questions and a lack of evidence-based practice in sonography are present in all aspects of the profession be it abdominal, obstetric, gynecologic, cardiac, vascular, breast, musculoskeletal, point-of-care, education . . . the list is only limited by our imagination. There is help and support for each step in the process; all it takes is an idea. Look for upcoming announcements about the Sonography Research Institute on the newly designed SDMS web site and in other e-mails (e.g., the News Wave). Think about taking that first step on a rewarding, fulfilling journey.