Gemstones or “gems” are highly valuable, and similar to their namesake, ASE GEMs recognize valued members who Go the Extra Mile.

Join ASE in celebrating members who are making the world a better place by submitting a GEM nomination. Nominate a colleague for their dedication to the field of cardiovascular ultrasound, outstanding mentorship to students or fellows, commitment to quality patient care, or congratulate them on a major accomplishment or milestone service anniversary.

The deadline for submission is the 25th of each month to allow time for recognition the following month. View past ASE GEM recipients here.

Content is available now for the 24th Annual ASCeXAM/ReASCE Review Course. This course is specifically designed to help you gain the knowledge you need to pass the ASCeXAM® and ReASCE® exams, but even if you are not taking the exam this year, this course offers comprehensive cardiovascular ultrasound education. In addition to covering all aspects of cardiovascular ultrasound essential to these examinations, your registration also includes a virtual live component coming up on Saturday, July 8. The expert faculty will host two, two-hour Q & A sessions from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET and 12:30 – 2:30 PM ET. Register today, start studying, and earn 28.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (pending approval).

The latest issue of CASE, ASE’s open access case reports journal, is now available with some fascinating reports, including “A Sticky Situation: The Unfortunate Consequence of Chewing Gum” by Christopher Lee, MD et al. CASE Editor-in-Chief, Vincent L. Sorrell, MD, FASE, remarked, “This issue includes a rarity! Since assuming the role as EIC, I can honestly say that this has never occurred in the many hundreds of manuscripts I have reviewed. In this issue, there is one of the most clinically meaningful CASE reports we’ve published, and it did not include any high-quality images. In fact, there were no interpretable images whatsoever. And that is the point of their report. Lee et al. should be congratulated in their careful approach to a patient with grossly impaired acoustic transmission during a TEE procedure.” Read the full article in CASE to learn more!

Additionally, there are two reports in the Multimodality Imaging category and three in the Interventional Echocardiography category, including a case on the serial evaluation of the oldest living patient with asymptomatic severe apical variant hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. A diverse range of reports fall into the Congenital Heart Disease category, including one from a 38-year-old with an untreated Gerbode defect who underwent coarctation stenting. In his editorial, Dr. Sorrell parallels his travels westward to the daily explorations of echocardiographers and the images that tell a story if one looks close enough.

Looking for a journal to submit your case report to? We want to hear from you! Email us with questions or submit your report today. Be sure to check out the latest Sonographer Sound-Off and Unlock the CASE features on the CASE Homepage to view more captivating work from your colleagues.

This month, ASE welcomed 15 distinguished Fellows of the American Society of Echocardiography (FASE) recipients! These members exemplify excellence in the field of cardiovascular ultrasound through education, research, leadership, and volunteerism. They are ambassadors for ASE and recognized experts in their field. Join us in congratulating the newest FASE recipients:

• Cecilia A. Albaro, MD, FASE
• Mounir F. Banoub, MD, FASE
• Sridhar Banrur, MD, FACC, FASE
• Aditya Bhat, MBBS, BMedSc, MPH, DDU, FRACP, FASE
• Mahesh Chandrasekhar, MD, FASE
• Victoria Jones, RDCS, FASE
• Ilya Karagodin, MD, FASE
• Preetham Kumar, MD, FASE
• Van Lam, RDCS, FASE
• Neha Mantri, MD, FASE
• Karen Rumery, RDCS, RVT, FASE
• Nandita Scott, MD, FASE
• Matthew Suffoletto, MD, FASE
• Emily Maria Tanel, FASE
• Tom Kai Ming Wang, MD, FASE

A complete list of FASE members can be found at SeeMyHeart.org. If you are interested in applying for FASE, or would like more information, visit ASEcho.org/FASE. The next deadline to apply is August 1, 2023.

Join CASE Editor-in-Chief, Vincent L. Sorrell, MD, FASE, as he interviews Rebecca L. Stepien, DVM, MS, DACVIM, for the CASE Spotlight Series. Dr. Stepien shares her insights on how the world of veterinary cardiovascular imaging intersects with and complements that of human cardiovascular imaging, and how CASE helps all practitioners learn from each other. The Spotlight includes some fascinating conversations about the hearts of sled dogs, whippets, and more! 

The ASE Foundation is delighted to announce a brand new award, the Michael H. Picard Research Award. This award has been established to honor Dr. Picard’s five years of stellar service as Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography (JASE) and is supported by a grant to the ASE Foundation by Elsevier. The annual award of $1,000 will be given to the overall highest scoring abstract submitted to the annual ASE Scientific Sessions by a trainee. Thank you, Dr. Picard, for your years of service to JASE and ASE.

Please join us in congratulating the inaugural Michael H. Picard Research Award recipient, Alex D’Amico, MD, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Division of Cardiology in Birmingham, AL. This award, along with many other ASE Foundation supported research awards, travel grant, and scholarships, will be recognized during the 2023 Awards Presentation on Saturday, June 24, from 8:00 – 10:00 AM ET at the ASE Scientific Sessions.

Can’t Make it In-Person to National Harbor? Join Us Virtually!

It’s almost here! The countdown to the start of the ASE 2023 Scientific Sessions in National Harbor, Maryland, has officially made it to single digits. ASE 2023 is just 9 days away, but there is still time to register and attend.

• ASE 2023 In-Person: Join all the interactive education, networking, and career enhancement opportunities onsite! We have a large number of attendees coming from all over the world. Don’t miss your chance to shake hands, talk to experts, and participate in scanning exercises. Registration includes a maximum of 29.75 CME/MOC points, Welcome and President’s Receptions, breakfast, and coffee breaks. In-person registrants receive unlimited access to recordings (audio and PowerPoint only) from six main track rooms for 90 days from Tuesday, July 11, 2023, to Monday, October 9, 2023. Attendees may claim CME credits for attending sessions in-person. Don’t wait! Prices increase by $125 for on-site registration!
• ASE 2023 Virtual: Can’t make the meeting in-person? Register as a virtual attendee! Registration includes access to three different live stream channels, a maximum of 24.25 CME/MOC points, and unlimited access to recordings (audio and PowerPoint only) from the live-streamed sessions for 90 days from Tuesday, July 11, 2023, to Monday, October 9, 2023. Virtual attendees may claim CME credits for watching either the live-streamed or recorded sessions. Don’t delay!

ASE and the ASE Foundation are offering three grants worth up to $25,000 USD to early career scientists in cardiovascular imaging. The Early-Career Development Grant for Echo Scientists (EDGES) provides support and professional development opportunities for early career members in the Society and creates an avenue for the continued evolution of echocardiography through technical advancement and new applications.

The grants will fund projects that address a clinical gap in cardiovascular ultrasound imaging through research led by an early career scientist. Physicians, PhDs, veterinarians, sonographers, and other healthcare professionals who are within seven years from having completed training are eligible to apply now through July 1, 2023, 5:00 PM ET. The principal investigator must be an active ASE member.

If you’re headed to the 34^th Annual ASE Scientific Sessions in National Harbor, Maryland, this June, make sure you stop by the ASE Foundation Booth! We will be located in the Maryland Ballroom Lobby. We have quite a few things planned and cannot wait to see you in person! Come say hi, donate (of course!), and:

• Join the Cardiovascular Challenge, sponsored by AGFA HealthCare, Bracco Diagnostics, Bristol Myers Squibb, Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC), Mayo Clinic, Siemens Healthineers and UltraSight.
• Check out photos from prior years’ Images from the Heart exhibits. Photos are available to take home with a $100 donation in the photographer’s name.
• Pick up your Research Awards Gala seat card.

We look forward to seeing you in National Harbor in a few weeks! 

The June issue of JASE includes “Preservation of Right Ventricular Function in Middle-Aged Recreational Endurance Athletes.” Lead author Mina Girgis, MD remarks, “Our study demonstrates that right ventricular (RV) systolic function, based on RV free-wall strain, is preserved in middle-aged endurance athletes. This finding alleviates concerns raised in previous studies and suggests the safety of continued exercise in this age group.” Notably, this issue also features research findings supported in part by the ASE Foundation in accordance with the World Alliance Societies of Echocardiography (WASE), entitled, “Age-, Sex-, and Race-Based Normal Values for Left Ventricular Circumferential Strain from the World Alliance Societies of Echocardiography Study.”



Additionally, a second clinical investigation assesses gender and racial differences in the context of indexing LV end-diastolic volume to normal echocardiography data. Editorial comments accompany two articles including one on new normative values for circumferential strain and another on price transparency and cardiovascular spending. This issue features a focus topic of the right heart, supplying several clinical investigations such as identification of a pulmonary hypertension phenotype in heart failure, prognostic impact of RV strain in isolated severe tricuspid regurgitation, RV electromechanical dyssynchrony’s relation to Ebstein anomaly, and analysis of RV intracardiac flow in pediatric patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot. Various brief research communications enhance this array of topics including a decade-long study on the changes in myocardial tissue velocities presented by the Copenhagen City Heart Study. A letter to the editor will engage readers regarding the importance of accurate echocardiographic assessment for improved cardiovascular outcomes in women.

To better understand what captures the interest of JASE’s readership, Patricia A. Pellikka, MD, FASE, utilizes her editorial to examine elements of some recent articles with the greatest number of downloads. From educational ASE guidelines to insightful studies in the Brief Communications section, JASE strives to continue providing valuable offerings to its readers.

In his final President’s Message, Stephen H. Little, MD, FASE, reflects on the progress of initiatives begun in his tenure as president and points to the groundwork laid for future focus areas of the Society. Please see the June ASE Education Calendar for a listing of educational opportunities far and wide.