Every year around this time, we take a step away from latest news in HTM to recap the events of the previous 12 months. In 2015, you may recall, the spotlight was on the challenges of IT integration and cybersecurity, as well as nagging issues surrounding alarm management. What issues dominated the headlines in 2016? Read on to find out.

Carlos Villafañe, CBET, CET, found his way to the biomedical field via electronics. Now, Villafañe—a biomedical equipment technician at Tampa Bay, Fla’s BayCare Health System—has worked his way up the health care technology management ladder to become the 2016 recipient of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation’s (AAMI’s) and GE Healthcare’s Biomedical Equipment Technician of the Year award.

In 1996 Bill Clinton was President, “Macarena” was the number one song in the country (really), Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act—and 24×7 published its first issue.

As Dave Harrington prepares to step away from the 24×7 editorial board, he shares a few thoughts about how the biomed field should prepare itself to manage emerging technologies. It starts, he says, with reviewing technicians’ present workload and dumping a good portion of it.

As Baby Boomers prepare to retire, the biomed community is facing a crisis of leadership. Are young professionals disconnected? Or have current leaders simply neglected to identify and cultivate talented replacements? Unless the field resolves these questions, Dennis Minsent argues, the departure of the Boomer biomeds will leave a major void to be filled.

Each December offers an opportunity to turn inward and take stock. This month, chief editor Jenny Lower asked 24×7’s editorial board members to share which issues had most captured their attention in 2015 and which topics would drive the HTM agenda in 2016.