The ASE Foundation funds Council Travel Grants for trainees to support their attendance at the ASE 2023 Scientific Sessions, which this year will be held in National Harbor, MD, June 23-26. These grants are part of an ongoing effort by ASEF and the Council Steering Committees to encourage trainees in cardiovascular specialties, provide echo-specific educational opportunities, and encourage participation of these enthusiastic new members in the ASE Councils.

Recipients will receive a $1,000 travel stipend to support their attendance at ASE 2023. Don’t miss your opportunity to apply for a 2023 ASE Foundation Travel Grant.

Application instructions can be found online at ASEFoundation.org/Council-Travel-Grants. Contact DLyons@ASEcho.org with any questions.

Registration for the ASE Foundation’s 14th Annual Research Awards Gala is now OPEN! We invite you to attend the “All the Colors of the World” Gala, our premiere fundraising event, to honor ASE’s 2023 award recipients and celebrate cardiovascular ultrasound research. The proceeds from this event directly support research efforts in 2024. Join us Sunday, June 25, at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, MD, for a wonderful evening of entertainment, dinner, and dancing. Attendees are encouraged to wear formal attire showcasing your personal heritage and culture.

Please note, Gala Registration options will start with full tables and Supporter Level tickets first. Questions about the Gala? Please email Gala@ASEcho.org. Tickets will not be available on site. 

The February 2023 Echo magazine is now online! This issue contains the Upcoming 2023 Education Calendar and interesting articles written by ASE members, including:

• The ASEF: “Together, We Can Make A World of Difference!”, page 4
• The Advanced Cardiac Sonographer – Advice from the Experts, page 7
• Sonographer Volunteer of the Month – February, Congratulations Patrice McKay, RDCS, FASE, page 12
• Intra-Operative Transesophageal Echocardiography in the Operating Room: Pearls and Pitfalls, page 14
• Why Should A Member of ASE Also Be A Member of The American Medical Association?, page 17
• 2023 ASEF Council Travel Grant Applications Now Open!, page 19

ASE members are eligible to write and submit articles for publication. The article submission deadline for the May 2023 issue is March 15, 2023. Visit ASE’s website to review the author guideline requirements on formatting, word length, etc. Contact Echo@ASEcho.org with questions and view past issues at ASEcho.org/EchoMagazine.

The latest issue of CASE, ASE’s open access case reports journal, is now available with some excellent reports, including “Undiagnosed Atrial Septal Defect in the Setting of Comorbidities and Ventricular Failure: Seemingly Simple Disease with a Challenging Diagnosis” by Anita Sadeghpour, MD, Han Kim, MD, and Anna Lisa Chamis, MD. CASE Editor-in-Chief, Vincent L. Sorrell, MD, FASE, commented, “Sadeghpour et al. provide a wonderful demonstration of two patients with atrial septal defects. In doing so, they nicely emphasize the importance of having a high index of suspicion so as not to overlook this not-uncommon congenital pathology that may be misinterpreted as acquired heart disease in the adult. They included an outstanding flow chart to help readers investigate patients with dilated right hearts and include a multimodality approach to confirming the underlying diagnosis.”

Additionally, this issue includes two more cases on annulus reversus and pulmonary fibroelastoma in the Just Another Day in the Echo Lab category, two Rare But Deadly Findings cases dealing with ALCAPA and thrombus in transit, two cases that highlight the important role of Multimodality Imaging, and a Letter to the Editor. The editorial from Dr. Sorrell, “Lost Phone of the Incas,” includes a travel vignette that reminds us not to take for granted the day-to-day value of echocardiography.

Finally, check out the latest Sonographer Sound-Off and Unlock the CASE features on the CASE Homepage to test your wits and learn tips and tricks for everyday practice.

The 24th Annual ASCeXAM/ReASCE Review Course is specifically designed to help you gain the knowledge you need to pass the ASCeXAM and ReASCE exams. Even if you are not taking the exam this year, this course offers comprehensive cardiovascular ultrasound education. This Review Course will cover all aspects of cardiovascular ultrasound essential to these examinations, including physics, valvular heart disease, strain, and 3D imaging, contract echocardiography, ischemic heart disease, congenital heart disease, and more. The expert faculty, led by Vera Rigolin, MD, FASE, and Muhamed Saric, MD, PhD, FASE, will use case studies and lectures to help prepare attendees for the ASCeXAM® or ReASCE® examinations.

The virtual CME review course will also include a live component. The faculty will host two, two-hour Q&A sessions on Saturday, July 8, 2023, from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET and 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM ET.

Register now for the Live Q&A Session on Case 2 of the Critical Care eCASE Series, which will be held February 27, 2023, 7:00 – 8:00 PM ET. Is oxygen delivery adequate? That is the question. This presentation will focus on how to approach the diagnosis and management of severe left ventricular dysfunction. The case will illustrate the use of serial measurements of the patient’s stroke volume and calculation of oxygen delivery. Does the patient need mechanical circulatory support or can pharmacologic intervention be enough?

The Critical Care eCASE Series is a blended learning activity covering three Critical Care eCASES through March 2023. Learners will review case presentations and participate in a live Q & A session for each case. Case presentation materials will be made available to participants ahead of time. Earn 4.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (pending approval) for participation in the entire three-part series. The series is free for ASE members and $45 USD for nonmembers.

We Need You to Help maintain ASE’s two seats in the House of Delegates

ASE works hard to ensure your voice is heard on issues related to legislative matters, regulatory issues, coding and reimbursement. To do so, ASE must maintain the Society’s seats in the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates (HOD). To qualify, 25% of ASE’s U.S. physician members must also be members of the AMA. Currently, we are just over halfway to that goal.

One way to help us reach our goal is to encourage the Residents and Fellows who are ASE members in your lab to join the AMA. The AMA membership rate for that category is only $45. Physicians could also “gift” AMA membership to their Residents or Fellows.

The AMA provides a powerful voice in Congress, the courts, and federal agencies. Full delegate status provides ASE with a vote on important AMA policy within the HOD. ASE delegates take part in the HOD meeting where AMA’s HOD sets its legislative and regulatory priorities based on the issues that were recently considered by the HOD, and these are vast.

It is imperative that ASE maintain our seats. Learn more and see how you can join the AMA at ASEcho.org/AMA.

ASE is currently seeking Course Co-Directors to serve from 2024 through 2025. All ASE members with course expertise are encouraged to read the qualifications and apply.

This application process is for these ASE courses:

• Echo Hawaii (January)
• State-of-the-Art Echocardiography (February)
• Review Course (Late April-Early May)
• Advanced Imaging Techniques Virtual Experience (September)
• Echo Florida (Late October-Early November)

Course Directors and Co-Directors are instrumental to the implementation and success of live courses. Co-Directors will work directly with the Course Director and will have the opportunity to become the Course Director after two years, and in this role, could serve for an additional two years.

Applications submitted will be reviewed by the ASE Education Committee. Recommendations will be made to the ASE Executive Committee who will make the final selection.

All applications must be submitted by March 15, 2023. Final selections will be announced by April 30, 2023.

Questions? Please email ASE’s Vice President of Educational Activities, Christina LaFuria.

Only one week remains to submit your abstract of original science or clinical cases for the ASE 2023 Scientific Sessions in National Harbor, Maryland, June 23-26, 2023. The deadline is next week on Wednesday, February 15, 2023, 11:59 PM ET. Begin your submission online today! 

Did you know that ASE holds two investigator award competitions for abstracts during the Scientific Sessions?

• 2023 Arthur E. Weyman Young Investigator’s Award Competition – Open to young investigators under the age of 40, who are no more than five years from the end of their training.
• 2023 Brian Haluska Sonographer Research Award Competition – Open to sonographer (non-physician) investigators who served as the primary investigator on their project.

Finalists in both competitions will present their research during special sessions, will be listed in the final program, and be featured during the President’s Reception poster session. The winners of each competition receive special recognition and prizes.

Visit the ASE 2023 Call for Science to learn more about abstract submission details and benefits of abstract acceptance.