Were you unable to attend ASE 2019 in Portland? We are pleased to announce that the ASE 2019 Scientific Sessions Online Library is now available for purchase. Here are just a few sessions you won’t want to miss:

• Diastology: Lifting the Fog
• Stop the Struggles: Assessment of Right Heart
• Hemodynamics and Physiology of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction
• Echo Technology at the Cutting Edge of Knowledge
• Stress Echo: Not Just Artery Disease. Get with the Guidelines
• Valvular Regurgitation/Stenosis: How to Quantify
• Law and Echo

ASE members can purchase the entire Library for only $299 which is a bargain when you consider there are a total of 573 presentations.That’s just over 50 cents per presentation! Options are also available to purchase single sessions. Take a look around and search for the topics of interest to you.

Thank you to everyone who submitted images for the ASE 2020 Image Calendar Competition. Now it is time to vote for your favorite images to be featured in a colorful, 12-month calendar that will be sent to all members who renew by December 31, 2019. Help your friends and colleagues win by voting today.

To vote for your favorite echo images:

1. Browse the images uploaded in the ASE 2020 Calendar Contest Image Library.
2. Under “Statistics” on the right, select “Actions,” then select “Add to Favorites“
3. Designate “Favorite” for as many images as you’d like.

Each favorite selection counts as one vote. If you have any questions, please contact ASE at acooper@asecho.org. We need your input to create a beautiful and interesting 2020 image calendar.

The August JASE contains an editorial commentary, “Who Is a Competent Echocardiographer?,” by two past ASE Presidents, Thomas Ryan, MD, FASE, and Susan E. Wiegers, MD, FASE. It was penned to accompany the clinical competency statement, which also runs in this issue, “2019 ACC/AHA/ASE Advanced Training Statement on Echocardiography (Revision of the 2003 ACC/AHA Clinical Competence Statement on Echocardiography): A Report of the ACC Competency Management Committee,” of which Drs. Ryan and Wiegers were co-authors. They write, “Echocardiography has become indispensable to the practice of cardiology, and as a result, most cardiologists use echocardiography in their daily practice and consider themselves competent in the field. Training in echocardiography, therefore, is an integral part of all cardiovascular fellowship programs. Achieving and maintaining competency in a widely used and dynamic area such as echocardiography are both essential and challenging. How do we define competence, and who decides whether an individual is competent?”

Other JASE articles cover new cardiac ultrasound technologies, echo in heart failure, echo in the athlete’s heart, transesophageal echo, atrial septal device interventions, and echo in children. The President’s Message by Madhav Swaminathan, MD, MMCi, FASE, “Say It Like You Mean It: Why Diversity and Inclusion Matter,” and the Sonographers’ Communication by Carol Mitchell, PhD, RDMS, RDCS, RVT, RT(R), ACS, FASE, “Grayscale Analysis of Carotid Plaque: An Overview,” would be excellent to share with up-and-coming echocardiographers and sonographers.

I have often said that it is easy to stand on the shoulders of giants. It is adapted from Sir Issac Newton’s 1675 expression, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

I have had the extraordinary fortune to have had many giants, on whose broad shoulders I humbly stand. Many great leaders at the ASE supported and encouraged a plan to not just endorse, but live a core value of diversity by choosing an anesthesiologist to lead the Society. I am, but the result of that effort. Foremost among them is Pamela Douglas, MD, FASE, who became ASE’s first woman president in 2001. Her commitment to diversity in leadership is unparalleled. She has been a fantastic mentor to me as I traveled this path towards the presidency. Neil Weissman, MD, FASE, another ASE past president, truly believed that this was the right move for the ASE to make. Susan Wiegers, MD, FASE, and Joseph Kisslo, MD, FASE, added their support behind this effort. But none of their efforts would have been possible without those who paved the way for anesthesiologists to be visible and respected contributors in the team sport of echocardiography. Joseph Mathew, MD, FASE, Sol Aronson, MD, FASE, and Jonathan Mark, MD, FASE, were pioneers in the field and made perioperative echocardiography prominent enough to be recognized by the ASE as a valuable addition to the team. Robin Wiegerink, ASE’s CEO, who is the most tireless champion for excellence in the field, has been a pillar of strength for the ASE and its leaders, and the glue that binds the organization. Read more here.

Are you looking to learn more about diastology or know someone who is? ASE offers 2nd Edition Best of ASE, Volume 1: Introduction to Diastology and Assessing Left Ventricular Diastolic Function, both available as DVD or as an online course.

• 2nd Edition Best of ASE, Volume 1: Introduction to Diastology: This educational DVD covers the what, how, and why of the echocardiographic assessment of diastolic function.
• Assessing Left Ventricular Diastolic Function: The dedicated lectures include questions on the echo parameters used to assess diastolic function and the physiology of diastology.

Visit ASEMarketPlace.com to see all of ASE’s educational resources, and do not forget to log in to get member pricing and take advantage of an additional 20% off all ASE products during the month of August. At checkout, please use code ENDOFSUMMER2019 to receive your discount.

In an effort to understand the needs of our members, ASE is requesting some quick feedback from you regarding the Society’s current Strategic Goals and member resources. Your input will help shape the next Strategic Plan, which will debut in 2020. This survey will gather your thoughts and opinions to help ASE build a future of value to you and other members of our medical community. Your voice matters!

Complete this short 16-question survey, by August 5, and enter to win a free 2020 ASE membership. Second place will receive a $100 Visa Gift card. Be sure to provide your name and email at the end of the survey to be entered in the drawing. Thank you for your time and feedback!

ASE President Madhav Swaminathan, MD, FASE, joined Radcliffe Cardiology’s podcast, Parralax hosted by Ankur Karla, MD, for a dynamic conversation about diversity, inclusion, and leadership. Dr. Swaminathan shares how he works to create an inclusive platform with opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds. They also discuss positive traits of leadership, why we should embrace failure, and the importance of mentorship throughout all stages of one’s medical career. Listen here.

ASE has the best study tool available if you are planning to take the Advanced Cardiac Sonographer (ACS) examination in August. This guide was designed by accomplished expert sonographers and ACS imaging specialists. It includes a video and workbook set that has 20 modules on a variety of topics. The workbook correlates with each lecture providing a question and answer section for each module. The final workbook chapters include two 180-question mock exams designed to test your overall knowledge and skill set in preparing you to take the ACS Registry Exam with success.To learn more about the ACS Registry Review Guide, click here.

Visit ASEMarketPlace.com to see all of ASE’s educational resources, and do not forget to login to your member portal to take advantage of your member discount.

It’s time to plan ahead and join us for the 30th Annual Echo Hawaii, January 20-24, 2020, on the beautiful Kohala Coast at the Westin Hapuna Beach Resort. The average high temperature in January is 81 degrees Fahrenheit which is a full 10 degrees warmer than most other Hawaiian islands at this time of year. And, the Kohala Coast only receives nine inches of rain a year and offers everything you desire like dependable sunshine, superb sandy beaches, warm turquoise fish-filled waters, swaying coconut palms, and pristine rain forests. A few Big Island attractions include Volcanoes National Park, Parker Ranch, Mauna Kea Observatory, Waipio Valley, Akaka Falls, and Hapuna Beach State Park.

Expert U.S. and international faculty will discuss state-of-the-art technologies with a particular focus on how they may be effectively applied in the clinical setting. Echo Hawaii Abstract Submissions will open September 1. Visit the website to review all the details for 2020’s Call to Science on the Big Island. Download the Advance Program and register today.

Do you have a teacher and/or mentor whose impact you can still feel? ASE is looking for those excellent instructors/mentors to honor them at the 31st Annual Scientific Sessions in Denver, Colorado, June 2020. Check out the links below to see how you may nominate someone (or yourself!) for an award.

• ASE Mentorship Award
• Cardiovascular Sonographer Distinguished Teacher Award
• Excellence in Teaching in Pediatrics Award
• Richard Popp Excellence in Teaching Award

Make sure you do not miss the upcoming deadline of August 1, 2019. If you have any questions, or want to submit a nomination, contact Awards@ASEcho.org.