In the 50-plus years that AAMI has been in existence, the organization has had but three presidents and CEOs. This steady stewardship accounts for, in many ways, the progress and growth the organization has achieved to help health care technology management professionals become an integral part of the health delivery system. The following are some of the many achievements and milestones AAMI has been proud to be a part of.

• 1967 — AAMI, which had been created by Robert D. Hall and Robert J. Allen — who were in the advertising business and worked for high-tech companies in the Boston area — underwent an organizational shake-up, setting it on a path to become the association it is today.


• 1969 — Mike Miller was hired as AAMI’s first executive director.


• 1969 — AAMI held “A National Conference on Medical Devices,” supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health.


• 1970 — AAMI presented its electrical safety exhibit, “Seven Steps to Electrical Safety,” for the first time at the 1970 annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology in New Orleans.



• 1971 — The BMET certification exam was developed by Lt. Col. Burt Dodson and given for the first time in the fall. AAMI also appointed its first Board of Examiners.


• 1972 — The title of certified biomedical equipment technician (CBET) was awarded for the first time to Herman D. Hubbard of Fitzsimons Army Hospital in Aurora, Colo.


• 1972 — AAMI and the FDA hosted the National Conference on Medical Devices. This was the first AAMI/FDA conference on medical device regulation.


• 1973 — The AAMI Board of Directors approved the development of a clinical engineering certification program.


• 1974 — The AAMI Sterilization Standards Committee was founded, and Robert Ernst and Carl W. Bruch were selected as co-chairs.


• 1976 — The FDA was given the authority to regulate medical devices on May 28.


• 1977 — AAMI was accredited by ANSI as a National Standards Organization.


• 1978 — AAMI published its first ANSI-recognized American National Standard for safe current limits for electromedical apparatus.


• 1980 — AAMI published its first sterilization recommended practice.


• 1982 — The first AAMI Regional Meeting, later renamed the Mid-Year Meeting, was held in Philadelphia.


• 1983 — The AAMI Certification Commission and the American Board of Clinical Engineering merged to create the International Certification Commission (ICC) for Clinical Engineering and Biomedical Technology.


• 1984 — The Medical Device Reporting regulation was published, requiring manufacturers to report device-related incidents to the FDA.


• 1986 — Lt. Col. Burt Dodson, Jr. received the first AAMI Leadership Award.


• 1990 — The Safe Medical Devices Act required user facilities to report device incidents to the FDA.


• 1991 — The first annual clinical engineering management seminars were held.


• 1992 — The AAMI certification program introduced a three-year renewal process to add value to and increase the credibility of the CBET, CRES, CLES and CCE programs.


• 1993 — AAMI was named secretariat for a new ISO committee on quality management.


• 1996 — AAMI was assigned secretariat duties for IEC/SC 62A, Common Aspects of Electrical Equipment Used in Medical Practice.


• 1997 — The FDA Modernization Act was signed into law, and a new quality system regulation took effect.


• 1998 — AAMI was assigned secretariat duties for the new ISO/TC 150/SC 6, focusing on active implants.


• 1999 — The AAMI/FDA Conference on the Reuse of Single-Use Devices and New Industrial Sterilization Course was held.


• 2000 — The Institute of Medicine published the seminal report “To Err is Human,” which linked medical errors to as many as 98,000 deaths each year.


• 2001 — AAMI began offering standards and other technical documents in electronic formats.


• 2002 — AAMI introduced three new courses: Industrial Sterilization for Medical Devices; Risk Management for Medical Devices; and Corrective and Preventive Action Requirements and Industry Practice.


• 2003 — AAMI launched its Technology Management Council (TMC).


• 2005 — AAMI’s TMC initiated a benchmarking project for clnical engineering departments.


• 2006 — AAMI launched an online community for members to get Joint Commission-related news and resources and to share their experiences.



Mary Logan


• 2009 — Mary Logan became AAMI’s second president/CEO in April.


• 2010 — The Infusion Device Summit, a joint venture of AAMI and the FDA, was held Oct. 5–6.


• 2011 — AAMI coined the term “health care technology management” (HTM) at the Future Forum in April.


• 2011 — On Oct. 11–12, leaders from industry, regulatory bodies, and associations, as well as clinicians, patient safety officers, researchers and others attended the AAMI/ FDA Medical Devices Reprocessing Summit.


• 2012 — AAMI and the FDA hosted the Medical Device Interoperability Summit Oct. 2–3.


• 2013 — AAMI and the FDA hosted a two-day summit on health care technology in non-clinical settings.


• 2014 — The AAMI Foundation launched the National Coalition for Infusion Therapy Safety, the National Coalition for Alarm Management Safety and the National Coalition to Promote Continuous Monitoring for Patients on Opioids.


• 2014 — AAMI University was created.


• 2015 — The AAM/FDA Risk Management Summit was held Sept. 29–30 to discuss how to apply the discipline to regulated medical devices.


• 2015 — AAMI introduced AAMI Connect, a collection of topic-specific online communities for members.


• 2016 — AAMI’s certification programs, CBET, CLES and CRES, received ANSI Accreditation.



Robert Jensen

2016 — AAMI’s Board of Directors named Robert D. Jensen the association’s third president and CEO.


• 2017 — AAMI officially celebrates its 50th Anniversary.