Bylaws & Strategic Framework

The Full 2016 Strategic Framework Update can be downloaded here. 

Table of contents

1. Preamble - p.3
   1. Background - p.3
   2. Purpose - p.3 
   3. Structure and governance - p.4
2. Working priorities - p.5
   1. Communication and collaboration between pediatric imaging practitioners, via their organizations - p.5
   2. Virtual education - p.6
   3. Outreach and training in lower resource settings - p.8
   4. Spreading child imaging safety globally, in particular radiation safety & protection - p.13
   5. Advocating for appropriate practice and resource allocation for children - p.13
3. Aspirations - that we hope to realize - p.15
   1. Publication - p.15
   2. Virtual education courses - p.15
   3. Research - p.16
   4. Information harbour - p.16
4. Our limits - p.17 
   1. Equipment donations and maintenance - p.17
   2. Tele-expertize: controlling peaks and ebbs in the flows - p.18
5. Organizational performance - p.20
   1. Leadership - p.20
   2. Staff - p.20
   3. Institutional communications - p.21
6. Financial status - p. 22
   1. Funding - p.22
   2. Financial reporting - p.22
7. Conclusion - p.23

Background

Diagnostic imaging services offered in modern medical settings have evolved enormously in recent decades, but even state of the art healthcare can overlook the specificities of pediatric imaging. Imaging children requires understanding the unique needs of the patient and family. A child is not a small adult; knowledge of illnesses and medical conditions specific to the pediatric population is a necessity. Equipment, procedures and staff need to be oriented to the special needs of children. Radiation safety, in particular, needs to be specifically addressed in this young population. Subspecialty training in pediatric radiology requires years of medical school, residency and fellowship – requirements which can impose a strain on the world’s most advanced care centres.

Furthermore, organizations dedicated to pediatric imaging around the world need to communicate better among themselves, share knowledge and resources, and federate at international level to advocate for best practices and resource allocation.

While medical practice would suggest that around 80% of diagnostic problems can be solved using "basic" radiographic and/or ultrasound examinations, the WHO nonetheless reports that some two-thirds¹ of the world’s population has inadequate or no access to medical imaging. It has defined technological availability as one of the world’s major health infrastructure needs. Clinicians face many challenges in providing pediatric imaging services in low-resource settings: cost, access, a massive disease burden, climate, geographical dispersion, political instability and a lack of equipment, infrastructure and manpower. In human resources terms alone, 14 countries in Africa have no radiologists at all, and most have less than 30 ^2. Zambia, for example, offers 4 public sector radiologists for an estimated population of just over 14.4 million (of which 47% is under 15 years of age)³ . Rarer still is the facility offering a pediatric radiologist; for the entire African continent, only a handful exist⁴. These difficulties are compounded by the need to allocate scarce resources to basic life-saving issues such as the supply of safe, clean water and nutrition. Appropriate policies for diagnostic imaging services are thus rarely integrated into national health plans and viewed as a priority. Health authorities are simply unaware of the live-saving diagnostic tools; they are therefore unavailable.

Purpose

In 2011, the leaders of the world’s regional pediatric imaging societies launched the World Federation of Pediatric Imaging (WFPI), a non-political, non-denominational and non-discriminatory organization operating for exclusively non-profit, educational, scientific, research and outreach purposes. By 2012, after extensive cross-regional consultation, two firmly held convictions – the need for a louder pediatric voice in the imaging arena, and strength lies in numbers – led to a mission statement: “WFPI provides an international platform for pediatric radiology organizations united to address the challenges in global pediatric imaging training and the delivery of services.” Setting up its governing body in 2012⁵ , WFPI went on to prioritize “Communication and collaboration between pediatric imaging practitioners, via their organizations” in its initial Strategic Framework (2012-2015⁶ ) to achieve its goals. With limited resources and a loose working mandate, WFPI set about carving its niche, drawing heavily on those among its members with developing world experience.

In 2016, after a review of its first five years⁷ , WFPI incorporated the priorities and concerns expressed by its membership into its working priorities and planned development, as expressed in this revised Strategic Framework (2016 – 2021).

Structure and governance

The WFPI is composed of pediatric imaging organizations and its governing Council includes representation from North America, Europe, South America, Asia-Pacific and Africa⁸ . To ensure the WFPI’s global span, it is open to other regional societies and national and supranational organizations, whether pediatric imaging-centered (“full” members) or radiology organizations with pediatric sections/special interest groups and organizations for all professions related to medical imaging (“associate”, non-voting, members). Together, the WFPI’s members offer extensive international reach in terms of access to educational platforms, meetings, conferences, training courses, publications, contacts and networks.

It bears noting that WFPI is far from alone with its international goals. A number of non-profit imaging organizations and intrinsic international imaging efforts roll out in parallel, many pre-dating WFPI. The Rwanda ultrasound courses supported by the Société Francophone d'Imagerie Pédiatrique, the Swaziland teaching visit run by the South African Society of Paediatric Imaging and the RSNA4 Visiting Professor Program are just three examples. Institutions can run international pediatric imaging initiatives too – among others, Graz University Hospital, Austria, teaches in Eastern Europe, Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, Canada teaches in India, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), USA offers a series of webinars in South Africa, in collaboration with the Radiological Society of South Africa and the South African Society of Paediatric Imaging. With its own resource limitations, WFPI cannot run such projects itself – but it embraces and supports the work of others and strives to ensure that resources are harnessed as opposed to duplicated.

Working Priorities

1. Communication and collaboration between pediatric imaging practitioners, via their organizations
2. Virtual education
3. Outreach and training in lower resource settings
4. Radiation safety and protection
5. Advocating for appropriate practice and resource allocation for children

To read more....

Aspirations – that we hope to realize

1. Publication
2. Virtual education courses
3. Research
4. Information harbor

To read more....

Our limits

1. Equipment maintenance and donations
2. Tele-expertise: controlling peaks and ebbs in the flows 

To read more......

Organizational performance

1. Leadership
2. Staff 
3. Institutional communications

During WFPI’s first five years of life, we have seen how demanding it can be to chart the course and set priorities, and keep ambitions unwaveringly commensurate with our means. From fund raising to the deep complexity of delivering medical aid, international organizations are constantly grappling with internal and external challenges. We have needed time to mould our mandate, and our trajectory can never be fully pre-set; our resources are constantly shifting and we operate within a fast-changing world.

Within this challenging environment, WFPI’s leadership (as constituted in our bylaws) and staff are charged with organizational performance.

To read more....

Financial Status

1. Funding
   As a “satellite” organization, WFPI has received capital injections during its initial years from those “parent” founding societies whose resources allow. WFPI extends its grateful thanks to the SPR’s R&E foundation, the SPR and the ESPR, along with individual donors and its members paying fees.
   WFPI’s financial situation, however, remains precarious, with no steady stream of revenue secured, and fund raising will remain a challenge. Stand-alone individual project work is considerably easier to finance than fueling communication and collaboration between physicians and helping others make the starfish saves. But such comprehensive project work vastly outstrips our ambitions, time, and expertise. The consequent limits on our resources render the honing and re-honing of our mandate critical.
2. Financial reporting
   The WFPI President and Treasurer will provide member organizations with an annual activity and financial report during the WFPI’s Annual Members’ Meeting, to be made available on the website. Additional reporting will be provided on member (when feasible) or donor request. 
3. All Financial reports to date are included in the Annual reports. 

Conclusion

Five years into its existence, WFPI seeks to create tools and generate resources that can be leveraged by multiple groups to be used where the need/desire for that expertise arises – be they high resource settings, middle income, or low (with a particular focus on low, given the massive imbalance of global resources and the high number of children living in these areas). And while this choice may not have the direct “feel-good” of a more focused or direct intervention, it is nonetheless relevant and impactful, and has the chance to make change at scale. In its self-styled “octopus” role, WFPI can keep hold of the big picture, reduce naivety, provide tools and up the chances of success in the international work its members choose to undertake.

We have seen this wish becoming action since our launch in 2011, with plenty of opportunities ahead. On the review of the available member societies’ opinions and the accomplishments to date, we believe that WFPI can go even further. Moreover, the worldwide celebrations of the 2015 International Day of Radiology demonstrated true unity of purpose in this global drive. Communication and collaboration delivered with such passion and pride can only spur WFPI on to achieve its goals.