WPS History

Below you will find a timeline highlighting events that led up to the formation of the Society and other milestones and accomplishments that its members have been part of through the years.

· Jim Cooksey and Jim Kersting were two individuals who stimulated the very first formation of an informal Educational Meeting known as the Western Great Lakes Perfusion Meeting. There were three such meetings held under this format: Green Bay on June 7, 1986, in Kohler on November 7-9, 1986, and in Deluth on June 29-30, 1987.

· Ron Nichols coordinated a VA System Wide Perfusion Meeting to provide an opportunity for continuing education for Perfusionists in the VA system, in Wisconsin, and in the surrounding areas. The first VA meeting was held in April 1988, and the last in February 1992.

· The WPS held two meetings to discuss Perfusion legislation and to officially lay the cornerstone for the formation of the WPS on May 15 and 16, 1993.

· LeRoy Ferries, Ann Rossell, Michael Harloff and Scott Garavet, Paul Askari and David Hellenbrand are a few names from a list of distinguished individuals who are responsible for forming Board of Directors and creating the WPS Bylaws.

· The aforementioned milestones and the dedicated efforts of many others culminated into the formation of the current Wisconsin Perfusion Society.

Ų To act in accordance with the Articles of Association governing tax exempt organizations – 501 (c)(6)

· Initial legislative campaign by the WPS to seek licensing of Perfusionists practicing in the state of Wisconsin - Fall of 1993 to Spring 1994

· The first Spring Educational Meeting held annually with its location revolving around the state

· LeRoy H Ferries Award – honoring a Wisconsin perfusionist who has made significant contributions to the field of perfusion

· William P Young Award – honoring an individual who is not a working, Wisconsin perfusionist who has made significant contributions to the field of perfusion

· First issue of the WPS’s official newsletter, the Reactions Times, was published in July 1994

· The WPS joins the information superhighway with the launching of its website in June 1999 – WWW.WISPERFUSION.ORG

· The WPS Membership votes to pursue the licensing of Perfusion in the 2001-2001 Legislative Session.

· The initial steps were taken to begin the legislative campaign; mainly the retaining of a lobbying firm – Hilbert & Tenuta – on behalf of the WPS.

· The WPS will hold its 8^th Annual Spring Educational Meeting from March 30 – April 1, in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Other Notables

· You don’t have to be a Perfusionist in Wisconsin in order to be a member of the WPS, in fact you don’t even have to be a Perfusionist. The WPS has several different membership classes to include all individuals interested in extracorporeal technology.

Membership Class	Class Description	Number
Class A	Wisconsin Perfusionist	61
Class A/Retired	Retired Wisconsin Perfusionist	7
Class B	Perfusion Students	8
Class C	Perfusionist outside WI or other healthcare related professionals	58

· The Wisconsin Perfusion Society’s membership is 155 strong and growing, comprised of members not only in Wisconsin, but throughout the United States.

The Perfusion Profession and National Credentialing

· In 1977, the American Medical Association began to recognize Perfusion as an Allied Health Profession (roughly 28 AHP in existence).

· In 1992, California was the first state to credential Perfusion (Titled). Texas and Oklahoma soon followed with the first legislation to license perfusion in 1996. In the past two years, there have been a flurry of states that enacted laws requiring individuals to possess a license in order to practice Perfusion: Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, New Jersey, Illinois and Massachusetts. Increasing the total number of states licensing Perfusion to eight.

· On a national basis, 33% of the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion (ABCP) Certified Perfusionists are now recognized as state Licensed or Titled professionals.

· Student Research Scholarship – a senior level scholarship to help defray the expense of attending a major cardiovascular meeting

· Student Essay Scholarship – an entry level scholarship to help defray a student’s educational expenses

· In 1968, Dr. Dudley Johnson performed the first successful Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery in Wisconsin at the VA Hospital in Milwaukee.

Source: VA Medical System Fall 1999 & Wisconsin Office of Health Care Information’s statistical database – WITHIN.

· 3200 Certified Clinical Perfusionists & 300 Non-Certified Perfusionists in US