Laurie Newmark Elected to Chair IBHRE Ambassador Committee

June 18, 2020, Washington, DC – The International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiners is pleased to announce that Laurie Newmark, RN, CCDS, has been elected to serve as Chairperson of the IBHRE Ambassador Committee. Ms. Newmark serves as a Registered Nurse at Equis Medical Consulting, where she manages a device clinic.  Elected by fellow IBHRE Ambassadors, Newmark assumes the role from her predecessor, Harlie Ferguson, AS, CEPS, formerly of St. Jude Medical and founding director of G&G Consulting, LLC.  Ms. Newmark’s two-year term begins immediately and ends on May 31, 2022.

“I am extremely excited to welcome Ms. Newmark to this leadership position,” said Tracy Kane Lofty, IBHRE Chief Executive Officer. “Not only is she a highly accomplished IBHRE-certified professional, she has made valuable contributions to IBHRE for many years.”

IBHRE Ambassadors serve a critical role in advancing the IBHRE mission. In addition to serving as a mentor to heart rhythm management professionals, IBHRE Ambassadors are official spokespeople and liaisons to pacing and electrophysiology communities in their region.

Since 2015, Newmark has served on the IBHRE Ambassador Committee and has been instrumental in helping IBHRE advance the field of heart rhythm management.  As such, she has promoted IBHRE certification programs through mentoring and by encouraging heart rhythm practitioners to pursue certification. Ms. Newmark has generously lent her time and talent to IBHRE as a member of the IBHRE State Board Recognition Strategy Task Force and as Chairperson to the IBHRE Scholarship Committee and Review Panel.  In addition, Ms. Newmark is a subject matter expert and course contributor on IBHRE’s Cardiac Device Education and Self-Assessment (CDESA) Course and serves as a member of the IBHRE Remote Device Monitoring Test Writing Committee. In 2016, her contributions were recognized by IBHRE as she was named IBHRE’s Ambassador of the Year.

“I am so honored to be elected to this position,” Newmark commented.  “I have big shoes to fill as I continue the great work started by Harlie Ferguson.  I look forward to working with all of the amazing Ambassadors from around the world and will work tirelessly to advance IBHRE’s mission.”

Ms. Newmark began her nursing career in the Cardiac Surgery Unit at the Mayo Clinic where she helped establish the first Physician/Extender Assistant Program.  Later, she served as a Clinical Nurse Specialist at Heart Institute of the Desert in Palms Springs, CA. She has managed device clinics since 1998, including the Sierra Nevada Cardiology Associates practice, the Coumadin Clinic, and other rural clinics. She earned her nursing degree from Rochester Community College Registered Nurse Program, and the Mayo Clinic Physician Extender Program.  In 2000, she earned IBHRE’s Certified Cardiac Device Specialist credential and, in 2010 she was recertified as a CCDS.

About IBHRE
IBHRE is a self-governing organization that provides competency certification in the fields of cardiac rhythm device therapy and cardiac electrophysiology. Certification exams are developed and administered to assess the scientific foundation, clinical skills, and technical knowledge practitioners and industry experts require to provide and facilitate safe quality patient care in the management of arrhythmias.

Since 1985, IBHRE has set the standard for global certification in heart rhythm management and recognizes cardiac care professionals who are skilled in this unique specialty.  By earning IBHRE certification, heart rhythm professionals have demonstrated professional excellence in their field.  These professionals make up more than 10,000 physicians and allied professionals worldwide and have earned one or more of the following credentials:

• Certified Cardiac Device Specialist (CCDS)
• Certified Cardiac Device Specialist – Japan Device Representative (CCDS-JDR)
• Certified Electrophysiology Specialist (CEPS)
• Certified Electrophysiology Specialist – Adult (CEPS-A)
• Certified Electrophysiology Specialist – Pediatric (CEPS-P)

Learn more about IBHRE’s certification programs at IBHRE.org.