Excellence in Teaching in Pediatrics Award

The Excellence in Teaching in Pediatrics award is open to either a sonographer or physician member for their exceptional commitment and skill in teaching pediatric echocardiography, who has been a mentor to students and serves as a role model for the profession, and who fosters a sense of clinical excellence and research investigation in the individuals they teach.

Award Criteria:

  • Demonstrates outstanding teaching characteristics and mentoring, and because of these attributes, has made a major impact on practitioners in the field of pediatric echocardiography
  • Acts as a mentor to students
  • Serves as a role model for the profession
  • Fosters a sense of clinical excellence and research investigation in the individuals they teach

Selection Criteria:

  • Years in the field of pediatric echocardiography and education
  • Teaching accomplishments
  • Personal awards
  • Strength of support letters
  • Service contributions to ASE

Nomination Criteria:

  • Meets the award criteria above
  • A sonographer OR physician member of ASE with FASE recognition
  • No age limit
  • Previously nominated candidates will be considered, if re-nominated with supporting letters
  • Previous award winners are not eligible

Nomination Procedure:

  • Please nominate an individual by letter outlining their qualifications for this award to James Kirkpatrick, MD, FASE, Chair, ASE Awards Committee, email to awards@asecho.org 
  • Nominations should include additional letter(s) of support
  • Nomination should include a copy of the nominee’s CV    

The Heart of Summer: July JASE

The July issue of JASE includes, “Cardiac Structural Changes and Declining Cardiorespiratory Fitness During Androgen Deprivation Therapy for Prostate Cancer.” Author Timothy W. Churchill, MD, FASE, remarks, “We studied men initiating treatment with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer using echocardiography and cardiopulmonary exercise testing at baseline and after six months of therapy. Over this time, we saw decreases in LV wall thickness and LV mass, and with these, exercise capacity, as measured by peak VO2, also declined. While preliminary, these findings raise the possibility that ADT, known for its associated skeletal muscle sarcopenia, could also be associated with similar myocardial changes that, paired with observed decreases in functional capacity, may have possible important prognostic implications.”

In addition to this report, readers can look forward to five other brief research communications on an array of topics. This issue hosts a variety of clinical investigations, as well, on topics ranging from AI in assessment of regional wall motion, to LV strain and prognosis in myocardial infarction, to 3D echo of the RV, and impact of cuff blood pressure measurement on myocardial work parameters. Three editorial comments accompany these papers, followed by a state-of-the-art review on radiation exposure to interventional echocardiographers and sonographers. Rounding out this issue are two letters to the editor.

In his first President’s Message, Theodore Abraham, MD, FASE, presents his vision for his term with three key initiatives to strengthen the Society for the next 50 years: ASE Creates, ASE Secures, and ASE Partners.

Check out our Author Spotlight page for a deeper dive into published works, including recent paper, “Echocardiographic Detection of Regional Wall Motion Abnormalities Using Artificial Intelligence Compared to Human Readers.”

Additionally, the 2023 Impact Factors were recently released. The new JASE Impact Factor is 5.4. There are 220 journals in the cardiac and cardiovascular systems category, and JASE maintained a high rank – 36 of 220 journals, keeping JASE in the top tier.

Please see the July ASE Education Calendar for a listing of educational opportunities far and wide.

ASE Appoints 2024-2025 President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Angie Porter
919-297-7152
APorter@ASEcho.org

American Society of Echocardiography Appoints 2024-2025 President

(DURHAM, NC, July 1, 2024)—The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) is pleased to announce the appointment of Theodore Abraham, MD, FASE, as the organization’s new President, effective July 1, 2024.

2024-2025 ASE President Theodore Abraham, MD, FASE

During the 35th Annual Scientific Sessions in Portland, Ore., June 14-16, Dr. Abraham shared his vision as the 2024-2025 ASE President. He will lead the global cardiovascular ultrasound imaging society during its milestone 50th anniversary in 2025, and he said that while it is important to celebrate the last 50 years, it is the future 50 years that will be top of mind during his Presidency.

Dr. Abraham plans to focus on three initiatives that he sums up as (1) ASE Creates, (2) ASE Secures, and (3) ASE Partners. ASE Creates is intended to awaken creativity within the Society and determine potential opportunities for innovation and invention in the field. ASE Secures will safeguard the Society’s future by identifying new technologies and education, and ASE Partners will concentrate on collaboration and help ASE continue building relationships with complementary partners, disciplines and organizations.

“ASE has been my professional home for more than 20 years. In my term as President, I am looking forward to embracing the Society’s rich 50-year history while also ensuring we remain at the forefront of innovation and excellence,” said Dr. Abraham. “It is an honor to represent our members and have a role in advancing and growing both ASE and the field of cardiovascular ultrasound to meet the needs of patients.”

Since first joining ASE in 2003, Dr. Abraham has held numerous leadership and volunteer positions on committees, task forces, writing groups and editorial boards. Some of his involvements and achievements include serving as Chair of ASE’s Membership Committee, earning Fellowship status in 2004, delivering the 2016 Feigenbaum Lecture at the 27th Annual ASE Scientific Sessions, receiving the 2018 Richard Popp Excellence in Teaching Award and supporting the ASE Foundation. Most recently, he chaired two ASE Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) forums in 2023 and 2024, and completed his term as the 2023-2024 President-Elect on the ASE Board of Directors’ Executive Committee.

Dr. Abraham earned his medical degree from Goa Medical College at the University of Bombay. He completed an internal medicine residency and an echocardiography research fellowship at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. Dr. Abraham then completed fellowships in clinical cardiology and echocardiography at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, and advanced echocardiography and muscle physiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. After previous appointments at Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins University, he is currently a cardiologist and Meyer Friedman Distinguished Professor at the University of California San Francisco, where he also serves as the institution’s Adult Cardiac Echocardiography Laboratory Director and HCM Center of Excellence Co-director.

ASE membership also elected 11 new Board of Director members to serve the Society starting July 1, 2024. The ASE Executive Committee welcomes Vice President Cynthia Taub, MD, MBA, FASE, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, N.Y., who will serve a one-year term. The new Treasurer serving a three-year term will be Akhil Narang, MD, FASE, Northwestern Medicine, Chicago, Ill. Secretary Melissa Wasserman, RDCS, RCCS, FASE, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., and Council Representative Kelly Thorson, DHSc, MSRS, ACS, RDCS, RCCS, CIIP, FASE, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, Palo Alto, Calif., will each serve two-year terms.

The following new Board members were elected to serve two-year terms: Kristen Billick, BS, ACS, RCS, RDCS (AE, PE) FASE, Scripps Clinic and La Jolla Hospital, La Jolla, Calif. (Member at Large); Allyson Boyle, MHA, ACS, RDCS, FASE, Sanger Heart and Vascular Institute – Atrium Health, Charlotte, N.C. (Cardiovascular Sonography Council Chair); Tony Forshaw, M Cardiac Ultrasound, B Ex Sci, AMS (Cardiac), FASE, Queensland University of Technology Queensland, Australia (International Representative); Jennifer Liu, MD, FASE, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, N.Y. (Member at Large); Kameswari Maganti, MD, FASE, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, N.J. (Member at Large); Nishath Quader, MD, FASE, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Mo. (Interventional Echocardiography Council Chair); and Matthew Vorsanger, MD, FACC, RPVI, FASE, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, N.Y. (Circulation & Vascular Ultrasound Council Chair).

Founded in 1975, ASE currently has nearly 17,000 members across 112 countries. Learn more by visiting, ASEcho.org.

About American Society of Echocardiography
The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) is the Society for Cardiovascular Ultrasound Professionals™. ASE is the largest global organization for cardiovascular ultrasound imaging serving physicians, sonographers, nurses, veterinarians, and scientists and as such is the leader and advocate, setting practice standards and guidelines for the field. The Society is committed to advancing cardiovascular ultrasound to improve lives. For more information visit ASE’s website ASEcho.org or social media pages on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, or Instagram.

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JUST RELEASED: PCHD Microlessons Module 2

The PCHD Microlessons are short web-based, micro-learning activities offering a quick and easy way to access targeted learning sessions on pediatric and congenital heart disease. Module 1 was released earlier this year, and now Module 2 is available for purchase in ASE’s Learning Hub!
The complete educational online course will consist of a collection of Modules—each containing lectures, animated videos, questions, and case discussions on 10 original PCHD topics. Modules will be released quarterly throughout the year, and Module 2 includes these topics:
  • Imaging of Tetralogy of Fallot
  • Imaging of Ventricular Septal Defects
Course content is intended for all levels of learners, but is primarily designed for sonography students, fellows-in-training, and early-career sonographers. Additionally, more advanced material is also available for early- and mid-career physicians and sonographers. Earn 3.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for completing Module 2. Remember to log in to your ASE Member Portal before purchasing to receive the discounted member price.

Two ASE 2024 Education Opportunities Still Available

Purchase the ASE 2024 Scientific Sessions: Online Library now in the ASE Learning Hub, so it will already be in your Learning Center when the content becomes available on July 24. The Library offers unlimited online access for three years to all recordings from the ASE 2024 Scientific Sessions in Portland, Oregon. Live audio, screen capture with animation, mouse pointer, and embedded videos will be included from all sessions (excluding Learning Labs and DIY Workshops). Remember to log in to your ASE Member Portal to receive the discounted member price of $299! This product does not offer CME/MOC credit.
Additionally, you can still register for this year’s 35th Annual Scientific Sessions Virtual Experience until the end of the month. Register for ASE 2024 Virtual Experience through June 30, 2024, to gain access to more than 40 sessions that were live streamed during ASE 2024. Virtual attendees can earn a maximum of 19.5 CME/MOC points for watching the recorded sessions. The virtual program will be available through the Whova app, the official ASE 2024 program app, through July 16. View the Virtual Program and register today!

Submit ASE 2025 Session Proposals

Planning for ASE 2025 is already underway! ASE’s 36th Annual Scientific Sessions will be held in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, September 5-7, 2025, and will celebrate ASE’s 50th anniversary. On behalf of the ASE 2025 Program Committee and ASE Leadership, we invite you to submit one session proposal for consideration for inclusion in next year’s Scientific Sessions program.
All fields must be completed for consideration. A complete session proposal must include:
  • Session title
  • Two co-chairs with alternates
  • Speakers with alternates
  • Presentation titles
  • Presentation formats
The deadline to submit ASE 2025 Session Proposals is July 15, 2024.

Read the June Echo Magazine

The June 2024 Echo magazine is now online! This issue contains interesting articles written by ASE members, including:
Each issue includes articles or images related to cardiovascular ultrasound that are not research-related, as well as communications from the ASE President, Councils, Specialty Interest Groups, and the ASE Education Calendar. Active ASE members are eligible to submit articles. Echo magazine will now be published bi-monthly (every other month) with the next issue publishing in August. The next submission deadline for the October 2024 issue is August 15. Email Echo@ASEcho.org with questions.

Register for the 2024 ASCeXAM Review Course Live Question & Answer Sessions This Saturday!

Register for ASE’s 2024 ASCeXAM Review Course Virtual Experience to gain access to more than 40 presentations designed to help you prepare for the ASCeXAM. Registration also includes a virtual live component that will take place this weekend. On Saturday, June 22, from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET and 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM ET, expert faculty—led by Muhamed Saric, MD, PhD, FASE, and Akhil Narang, MD, FASE—will be available to answer specific questions, review course material, and dive deeper into certain subjects.
Even if you’re not taking the exam, this course offers comprehensive cardiovascular education that includes 28.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
Remember: Log in to the ASE Member Portal before registering through the ASE Learning Hub.

ASE 2024 Highlights

A tremendously successful ASE Scientific Sessions in Portland, Oregon, just wrapped. Chair Federico Asch, MD, FASE, and co-chair Eric Kruse, BS, ACS, RDCS, RVT, FASE, welcomed nearly 2,000 attendees from 32 countries for two-and-a half days of learning and exciting networking events. Nearly 500 people also attended virtually last weekend.
Additionally, ASE 2024 also welcomed over 400 investigators from around the world who presented their original science during the meeting. Congratulations to the two investigator award competition winners on their excellent achievements.
  • 2024 Arthur E. Weyman Young Investigator’s Award Competition Winner, Robert McRae, MD, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, Washington.
  • 2024 Brian Haluska Sonographer Research Award Competition Winner, Babitha Thampinathan, CRCS, RDCS, FASE, Mohawk-McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Thank you to all the investigators who contributed to this year’s scientific program! We hope to see your cutting-edge science at next year’s Scientific Sessions.
Plan now to join us September 5 – 7 for the 2025 Scientific Sessions in Nashville, TennesseeSign up here for notification when registration for ASE 2025 opens.

In Memory of Arthur E. Weyman, MD, FASE

It is with great sadness that we inform you that Arthur (Ned) E. Weyman, MD, FASE, passed away on June 17, 2024. Dr. Weyman was ASE’s first secretary of the Board of Directors and subsequently served as the 8th President of ASE serving from January 1991 through June 1993. As one of the founding leaders in echocardiography, he advocated tirelessly for international recognition of the pivotal role the noninvasive assessment tool plays in saving lives by quickly detecting cardiac issues in patients from infants to adults. His presence at the helm of ASE and NBE changed the field forever. He will be missed, and we are forever grateful for his service. Read more about his service and legacy.