By K. Richard Douglas
The state of Virginia offers a geographic landscape for every taste. There are the various beaches, bayfronts, ocean fronts, rivers and tributaries. Every type of body of water for every taste. There are the mountains in the west and historical attractions everywhere. Appomattox Courthouse, where the Civil War effectively ended, the Jamestowne Settlement and historic Colonial Williamsburg, Mount Vernon and Monticello can all be found in Virginia.
With numerous hospitals and healthcare centers crisscrossing the state, the need for HTM professionals has been a given for decades. It’s a good thing that the state has a statewide biomed association that has been active for more than two decades.
The Virginia Biomedical Association (VBA) traces its birth to 1994.
“On February 5, 1994, an organizational meeting was held at the Wintergreen Resort, with the idea that a recreational setting would help create a more informal and interactive atmosphere. Greg Johnson, then president of the North Carolina Biomedical Association, came to speak with us and offered encouragement and guidance from the NCBA. This meeting was wildly successful [and] can be considered to be the beginning of the Virginia Biomedical Association,” says VBA Vice President Gabriel Laconi, CBET.
He says that at the first annual meeting in August 1994, VBA finally became a “real” organization, with the election of the board of directors and ratification of the bylaws.
“We also held a vendors symposium and training classes to round things out,” Laconi says.
Other officers in the organization include President Matthew Frank; Treasurer Paul Brown, CHTM, CBET; and Secretary Sandy Mason.
Laconi says that Mary (Frye) Coker, Steve Haupt and Ryland Paxton are credited with performing the background work needed to get the organization started. He says that much of this period pre-dates him.
“Mary Coker started organizing the first annual meeting; Mark Freeman started putting together the newsletter; Frank Insley persuaded Governor Allen to establish a ‘Biomedical Technicians Week’ and Lis Carroll organized our first technical training class – four days on Hewlett Packard monitors. Numerous other people and companies also contributed their time and resources to the VBA, ensuring our success,” Laconi says.
The group hosts events throughout the year as well as an annual symposium each fall.
“VBA conference/symposiums are held once a year for two days, typically in September, they are in-person events, not available online, however, throughout the year, the VBA will host/sponsor additional events that are available online. These events are advertised on our site, which by the way is free to join,” Laconi says. The website is VABiomed.org/.
Like many biomed associations, the organization was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The quarantines effectively eliminated our annual meetings and as we fought to maintain the standard of care for our patients and healthcare providers, amid furloughs and retirements, the organization became less of a priority. Since the pandemic, the VBA held a golf tournament and a small gathering that were not very well attended; it wasn’t until 2024 when Matt Frank made a call to action to revive the VBA,” Laconi says.
He says that along with the current board, they met several times a month to engage vendors and members in time for the 2025 symposium.
“We currently operate with lean leadership, but will welcome anyone who would like to participate and help,” Laconi adds.
In the past, VBA offered a scholarship and plans to offer one again in the future.
“Historically, the VBA did have a scholarship, however, during this time of restructuring we were not able to implement it in time for the 2025 symposium. We look forward to working with vendors and local schools to soon offer a VBA scholarship once more,” Laconi says.
The organization also does its part to help replace retiring biomeds and spread awareness of the field.
“We believe education is paramount for the survival of our organization, however, we also like to create awareness of this field, and engage new people that might not know about this career. We strongly believe in recruiting, training and retaining the next generation of biomedical technicians,” Laconi says.
He says that as VBA grows, it looks forward to exploring partnerships with technical schools/community colleges in order to create awareness and training opportunities for those interested in the field.
A SUCCESSFUL SYMPOSIUM
Laconi says that the VBA’s 2025 annual conference/symposium drew more than 100 people.
“In 2025 it was held at Wintergreen Resort, we had in attendance over 20 vendors and over 80 members,” he says.
Over the course of two days, classes and seminars on various topics were held including cybersecurity, certification, augmented reality, infusion pumps, preventative maintenance, imaging service contracts and anesthesia maintenance.
Laconi says that the group had great attendance during the symposium and received great feedback from the classes and seminars. Members really enjoyed the symposium and found real value in it.
“For our next symposium, we hope to increase attendance of vendors and members. We plan to offer classes and seminars that are interesting, engaging and valuable for our members, and we hope to be a source of leads and contacts for our vendors who make it all possible,” he says.
Laconi says that the idea moving forward is to explore different venues in order for all Virginians to be able to attend.
“To that end, starting on 2026 we would like the VBA conference/symposium to be held in different venues throughout the state,” he says.
A re-energized VBA has emerged to serve the HTM professionals in Virginia and represent the field to the next generation of biomeds.
Association of the Year
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