My father, Dr. Fridtjof Nussbaumer, was an orthopedic surgeon who practiced in upstate New York for over 30 years. Before I was involved in ultrasound education and research, I was delivering pizza, writing music, broke and struggling. After my father had an ultrasound on his heart, he called me and told me about it. He explained there was a school near where he lived and wanted me to go. After a bad experience delivering pizza, I agreed. I applied to the school and was luckily accepted.

 

On the second day of class, I was introduced to Ultrasound Doppler. At that moment, I was hooked. I was amazed at this technology that could hear the sound of blood flow inside the body. I dove head first into ultrasound and learned as much as possible and continue to do so. Since then, I have become an expert in vascular, abdominal, superficial structures and oncological ultrasound, as well as ultrasound research. 

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I began my career working at Mobile Infirmary Medical Center. I was very lucky to be given hands on training, otherwise I might not be in this field at all. I am very thankful for my time there. When our department was struggling to find potential new hires, I realized there was a need for an ultrasound school. In 1999, I opened the first specialized school in the country, Gulfcoast Institute of Vascular Ultrasound. It is still open today under new ownership as Cardiac and Vascular Institute, and even has the same logo. I was in my 20s and wanted to explore that world, so I ended up selling my shares to my partners and traveling with ultrasound for a few years. 

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A traveling assignment in Boston, led me to Massachusetts General Hospital. I was hired to be the Technical Manager of the General Ultrasound department in order to incorporate vascular ultrasounds. MGH was very fast paced and high volume. The experience was extremely rewarding. At MGH, I also enjoyed being able to delve into research. I was able to publish my original research in association with Harvard, and, at the time, was the only non physician published in the MGH/Harvard research journals.

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After an injury left me unable to perform multiple ultrasounds, I made the decision to open a second ultrasound school. After years of hard work and dedication, CURE received licensure and was able to begin teaching.

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Our first class, in New Rochelle, New York, began in one room with 4 students. Now located in White Plains, New York, CURE has grown significantly since then and has a campus full of bright and dedicated students. I'm thankful to be able to help create opportunities for students to graduate and become successful in the expansive field of ultrasound.

 

I feel excited about the future of ultrasound and about the mission of CURE. One of our goals is to be able to reduce cancers caused by medical radiation. As ultrasound education improves, we believe ultrasound will be used more often, decreasing X-Ray, CT and PET scans, and reducing cancers caused by radiation. 

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If you'd like more information about me or about THE CURE, please don't hesitate to contact me at karen@cure.edu.

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Stay safe and sound,

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Karen Nussbaumer 

CURE, Founder