Henri Bergson, the French philosopher, wrote "To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go
on creating oneself endlessly." As the preeminent organization representing the leaders of neonatal and pediatric transport medicine, the Academy’s Section on Transport Medicine (SOTM) is forever growing and adding to
its body of knowledge. In order to sustain the level of expertise and to create new technologies necessary to
provide the safe transport of children, SOTM members are required to forever recreate and grow the field.
When first tasked with developing a logo, many warm fuzzy images came to mind since there are so many
children’s hospitals around the country. The initial list of possible images to be included in the logo was: infant
foot prints, hearts, nightingale lamp, wings, torch, ambulance, jet, helicopter and medicine man eye. As I
perused the transport literature and websites of different professional organizations, I decided to develop a logo
representing the values an organization would hope its members exemplified. Once that decision was made, the
route took a turn towards strength and integrity. Over the year-long process, numerous individuals on the Affiliate
Subcommittee and Section Executive Committee would help refine the design as their suggestions were
included.
In researching Native American symbols I discovered the Medicine Man Eye which represents wisdom and
awareness (www.symbols.com). Individuals practicing in the transport arena should strive constantly to be
aware of their patient’s condition and they should seek out the latest information in the field to remain wise. The
Affiliate Subcommittee had developed an acronym ATMS (Affiliate Transport Medicine Specialists) to represent its
non-physician members. Therefore, this four sided symbol was perfect to utilize in the logo. The original design
only included the outside |
border. While a Nightingale lamp had been considered on the original list, there are many transport teams which utilize
non-nursing personnel as team members. Subcommittee member Chris
Frazier gave life to the idea of a torch in the center. The eternal flame of the torch symbolizes the never-ending
quest for knowledge by the members. Only by continuing to refine and research better methods of transporting
children can quality care be assured to the public which we serve. At the request of Sub-committee member Lori
Markham, the modalities of transport were incorporated into the design.
No project of this magnitude is accomplished by any single individual, and that was certainly the case with this
design. Chris Frazier took a pencil drawing I faxed to him and generated the first images of the logo. I would also
like to thank Rebecca Holgate, a professional graphic artist who resides in Seattle, for adding the inside of the
eye, embedding the initial images of the aircraft and ambulance and creating the color scheme. Geoff Thibeau is
a graphic arts student at Louisiana Tech who moved images into different positions. The final logo would not
have been possible without the efforts of Dr Calvin “Van Gogh” Lowe, the medical director of LA Children’s transport team. As others became busy with their real jobs, Calvin stepped up to the plate and continued to develop
different versions of the logo. There were over 20 images prior to the decision on a final version. A special thanks
to Dr Robert Insoft, Past President of the Section on Transport Medicine, and Jan Romito, Chairperson of the Affiliate Subcommittee, for their constant support of this project. To the individual members of the Section Executive Committee I would like to express my gratitude for their ideas and acceptance of the logo’s final
version. |