SonoWorld is a division of MedimageWorld a medical communications company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. SonoWorld is dedicated to the mission of bringing free or low-cost educational materials and information to the global ultrasound community. The founders and staff are widely recognized for their contributions to clinical ultrasound, education, research, training and industry, and for their commitment to quality education.

THE FOUNDERS AND KEY STAFF
Ed Ray, President and Chief Executive Officer of SonoWorld. Ed founded, and was Chairman, President and Chief Operating Officer of Interspec, Inc. (Interspec) a developer, manufacturer, and marketer of diagnostic ultrasound imaging instruments, a public company. In 1994 Interspec merged with advanced Technology Laboratories (ATL), and Ed became President and Chief Operating Officer of aTL Interspec and a Director of ATL, which was subsequently acquired by the Philips Corporation. Following his retirement from industry, Ed joined the Board of Directors of the Jefferson Ultrasound Research and Education Institute (JUREI) in 1995. He is also involved in the creation and development of new and innovative start-up ventures.
Barry B. Goldberg, MD, Chairman, Medical advisory Board, served as president of the World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (WFUMB) and the american Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM), and is one of the most widely recognized world authorities on medical diagnostic ultrasound. He is also recognized as a leading researcher in ultrasound contrast agents. In 1977 Dr. Goldberg was appointed Professor of Radiology and Director of the Division of Ultrasound of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. In 1993 the University recognized Dr. Goldberg's outstanding accomplishments in research and education by creating the Jefferson Ultrasound Research and Education Institute (JUREI) the only program recognized by the World Health Organization as a Collaborating Center for Continuing Education and General Education in Diagnostic Ultrasound. JUREI has provided research and education services to all the major ultrasound manufacturers and the pharmaceutical companies. Over the past five years Dr. Goldberg has developed a network of over 49 JUREI-affiliated education centers operating in 33 countries and the network is growing rapidly. Dr. Goldberg has published extensively on all applications of ultrasound, and has written 95 chapters, 23 books and 287 peer reviewed papers. He has received numerous grants and awards and in 1998 was named Outstanding Researcher and in 2001 Outstanding Educator by the Radiological Society of North America.
Christopher R. B. Merritt, MD, Medical Content Director, is a leading authority in diagnostic imaging and ultrasound, having served as the Chairman of the Department of Radiology at Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans from 1976 to 1998. He is a past president of The american Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, The Intersocietal Commission for accreditation of Vascular Laboratories, The American Society of Clinical Radiologists and The Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound. Dr. Merritt is active with the american Board of Radiology, the american College of Radiology, the American Roentgen Ray Society, and the World Federation of Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology. Dr. Merritt has been engaged in clinical ultrasonography since 1972 and has over 150 publications in the field. He teaches and lectures extensively to imaging professionals worldwide.

Larry Waldroup, BS, RDMS, Web Design Consultant, is a well-known sonographer active in the field since 1973 and a Fellow of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine and the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers and a former chairman of the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers. He has been Technical Manager of the Ultrasound facility at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for over two decades and is the manager of the Jefferson Ultrasound Institute. Mr. Waldroup designed and developed the initial web site for the Jefferson Ultrasound Institute and serves as the consultant web architect for SonoWorld.

THE MISSION OF SONOWORLD
SonoWorld was conceived as a way to provide free and high-quality educational materials to ultrasound practitioners in developing countries around the world. as the founders explored ways to accomplish this mission, it became apparent that there was a global need for a centralized resource for information as well as educational resources, and that this could best be accomplished by creating a new education-focused virtual community for physicians, sonographers and members of the industries that support them. There are many educational resources available on the web today, but these are distributed across many different web sites and may be difficult to locate. The Founders envisioned a centralized resource where many of these existing resources could be brought together in a virtual space accessible anytime and from anywhere in the world. a place where members of the community could find the information and educational resources they need to give the best possible care to their patients. a place where the community can come together through their common interests and where they can communicate with each other and with educators and industry representatives. The SonoWorld web site is the first stage of fulfillment of that mission but it can only succeed if all members of the community come together to support its development, to share their expertise and their passion for ultrasound, and to actively participate in the ongoing evolution of this new resource.