About the Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Certification Academy™
Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Certification Academy offers globally recognized certifications for healthcare providers to independently validate their POCUS knowledge, application, and proficiency. We partner with our constituents through rigorous assessments, continual learning opportunities, and community building around important topics relevant to POCUS.
We believe that the future of ultrasound is portable, mobile, and provides exceptional results. If you are ready to lead the future of healthcare, join us.
Our Partner Organizations
The pioneering organizations working with the POCUS Certification Academy in setting direction and strategy include:
- The American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography® (ARDMS ®)
For more than 40 years, ARDMS has set the standard for administering examinations and awarding credentials in areas of ultrasound. ARDMS empowers sonographers to provide exceptional patient care through rigorous assessments and continual learning.
- The Alliance for Physician Certification & Advancement ™ (APCA ™)
Spun out of ARDMS in 2016 to meet the exclusive needs of physicians, APCA is dedicated to continual learning and providing high-quality and compassionate patient care through certification. APCA joins ARDMS in furthering its long-standing mission of raising the global standards of excellence in healthcare and patient safety.
POCUS Certification Academy Council Members
The POCUS council members has a leading role in the development of the certificates and certifications of the POCUS Certification Academy. The council members are composed of volunteers who are subject-matter experts and are leading the practice by building the future of point-of-care ultrasound in action. They work with Inteleos staff and more than 50 other volunteers to develop high standards and credentials with the goal of improving global healthcare. Due to the dynamic nature of POCUS, we approach development as an ongoing process and we are always refining our programs to be better.
Ernesto Brauer, MD, FACP, FCCP, ABSM, is a graduate of the National University of Mexico City. He trained in internal medicine, pulmonary and critical medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Milwaukee, WI. He has been practicing since 1986 and specializes in the care of critically ill and injured postoperative patients. His interests also include the difficult airway and ultrasound. He is also a clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Adult Echocardiography.
Steffen Sammet, MD, PhD, DABR, DABMRS, FAMP. Dr. Sammet is an Associate Professor of Radiology and Medical Physics at the University of Chicago. He is the Director of Clinical Magnetic Resonance Physics and the Associate Program Director of the Clinical Imaging Medical Physics Residency Program at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Dr. Sammet completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, in physics, mathematics, and chemistry. He continued his graduate studies in physics at the University of Heidelberg completing his M.S. and achieving magna cum laude distinction in his Ph.D. degree. Following his doctoral work in physics, Dr. Sammet completed his medical degree magna cum laude at the University of Heidelberg Medical School. He has a business administration certificate in total quality management (TQM) from the University of Kaiserslautern, Germany, and a certificate of achievement of the Academy of Radiology Leadership and Management (ARLM), where he is also listed on the honor roll. Dr. Sammet is board certified by the American Board of Radiology (ABR) in diagnostic radiological physics and by the American Board of Magnetic Resonance Safety (ABMRS). He also holds a medical physics board certificate and a medical license in Germany. Dr. Sammet has extensive experience in translational research and serves as principle investigator for several extramural and intramural grants that focus on the development of novel MRI and Ultrasound techniques. He is a research mentor to graduate students in his research lab at the University of Chicago and he has won multiple research and teaching awards. Dr. Sammet is also a member of the faculty at the University of Chicago Center for Global Health and has established an educational neuroradiological imaging program in Ibadan, Nigeria through an NIH/NINDS funded R25 training grant where he served as principal investigator. He also developed a summer school program for Medical Imaging Physics in China during a visiting professorship at Xidian University in Xi’an, China.
R. Eugene Zierler, MD, RPVI, is Professor of Surgery in the Division of Vascular Surgery at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Medical Director of the D. E. Strandness, Jr. Vascular Laboratory at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. He received both his undergraduate and medical education at the Johns Hopkins University, receiving an A.B. degree in 1973 and the M.D. degree in 1976. Dr. Zierler’s research interests have focused on the clinical applications of noninvasive diagnostic techniques for vascular disease. Over the last 30 years, he has been involved in a series of projects based on the use of ultrasonic duplex scanning for screening and follow-up of vascular problems, including carotid artery disease, lower extremity arterial disease, surveillance of vein bypass grafts, deep vein thrombosis, and renal artery disease. Dr. Zierler is the author or co-author of over 100 journal articles and 50 book chapters, and he is the editor of 6 textbooks. He has served on the Board of Directors of the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) and Inteleos. He is also a Past President of the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories (ICAVL).
Dean Vlahaki, MBBS, RDMS, FRCP, graduated from the University of Queensland Medical school in Brisbane, Australia in 2011. He completed his Emergency Medicine residency training and POCUS specialty training at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada in 2017. Vlahaki now practices at multiple sites in a network of academic tertiary care hospitals in Hamilton, Canada. He is also an Assistant Clinical Professor with McMaster University and a major contributor to the Emergency Medicine Point-of-Care Ultrasound Fellowship program at McMaster University.
Christopher Davis, PA-C, RT, is a graduate of A.T. Still University PA program and Weber State University Radiologic Sciences program. Mr. Davis has been practicing since 2006 as a Physician Assistant in the Interventional Radiology department at Banner Baywood Medical Center in Mesa, AZ. Mr. Davis is an adjunct faculty at A.T. Still University Physician Assistant program and guest lecturer at NAU Physician Assistant program, teaching students imaging guided procedures.
Hong Wang, MD, PhD, FASE, FASA. Dr. Wang attended the Peking University School of Medicine in Beijing, China. She received her PhD from the Department of Physiology at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Dr. Wang completed her Anesthesiology residency and was Chief Resident at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit Michigan in 2000. She is board certified with the American Board of Anesthesiology and Advanced Perioperative TEE. Dr. Wang serves the Department as Professor and Vice Chair of Clinical Operations, which oversees the Department’s clinical activities, coordinates the daily operative suite schedule. She is a cardiac anesthesia team member that provides and directs anesthesia to patients undergoing open-heart procedures in conjunction with cardiothoracic surgeons. Dr. Wang is the director of Department’s Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS). She has established the POCUS training for the anesthesia residents and participated in the WVU medical student ultrasound training. She has passed the inaugural board exam, Examination of Special Competence in Critical Care Echocardiography (CCEeXAM), administered by the National Board of Echocardiography in conjunction with nine other partnering organizations. Dr. Wang is currently the President of The Chinese American Society of Anesthesiology (CASA).
Dr. Mena Ramos is a family physician based in the San Francisco Bay Area. After completing her residency at the UCSF Contra Costa Family Medicine Residency in 2015, she pursued a fellowship in Global Health at the UCSF Contra Costa Global Health Fellowship where she taught POCUS to family medicine faculty in Malawi. As the co-founder of Global Ultrasound Institute (GUSI), her biggest passion is in POCUS education as a means to transform health systems for patients with limited access to healthcare. As a POCUS advocate for family physicians and primary healthcare providers, Dr. Ramos co-wrote the POCUS guidelines for the American Association of Family Practice and was founding secretary of the AAFP POCUS Member Interest Group. She has taught thousands of medical providers at national conferences including AIUM, ACP, AAFP, and STFM and through virtual learning. Outside of medicine, Dr. Ramos is a professional musician, percussionist, and educator who enjoys making learning a fun experience.
If you are interested in partnering with the POCUS Certification Academy, please contact us at POCUS@Inteleos.org.