Each year ASE selects one or more of our colleagues to receive the special designation of Honorary Fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography (FASE). This honor is given to individuals outside the US who have made significant contributions to the field of cardiovascular ultrasound or have played a strong role in building relationships with the Society. Some are recognized for their innovations, others for their leadership. ASE is pleased to announce that Pham Gia Khai, MD, PHD of Hanoi, Vietnam has been selected as the 2016 Honorary FASE recipient. Noted for pioneering cardiac ultrasound and interventional cardiology in Vietnam, Dr. Khai is ASE’s first Honorary FASE recipient from that country. He will be officially recognized as Honorary FASE on June 12 during the Awards Presentations at ASE 2016 in Seattle, Washington. The complete list of Honorary FASE recipients may be found at ASEcho.org/worldview
2016 Honorary FASE to Pham Gia Khai
Receive a Free 2017 Membership When You Recruit 5 New Members
Who makes ASE strong? You. You make ASE the largest voice in cardiovascular imaging in the world. You know the value of membership and can share it with your colleagues. You can encourage them to join ASE to maintain the influence of the echo community. Recruit one new member and you BOTH receive an ASE-branded travel phone charger. Recruit five or more new members and your 2017 ASE membership will be FREE. Download a member recruiting toolkit and learn more by visiting ASEcho.org/MemberReferralProgram
Notice: ASE phone system temporarily down on 1/8/16
ASE’s phone system will be temporarily out of order on January 8, 2016. We will have it running again as soon as possible. If you need to contact us, please send an email at ase@asecho.org.
Thank you for your patience.
Super Savings! Register before January 13 for State-of-the-Art Echocardiography: Echo Southwest
The 29th Annual State-of-the-Art Echocardiography: Echo Southwest is in a fantastic new location for 2016 making it a very cost effective way to earn up to 38.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Taking place February 13-16, 2016 at the stunning Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort in Tucson, Arizona, the ASE room rate is a low $169 a night! The content has also been revitalized to focus on new technologies and live imaging. This will facilitate attendees’ ability to watch experts perform new imaging techniques. This course will also feature a MOC session. Register before January 13 and save $100. Download the Advance Program here
ASE 2016: Call for Abstracts — Deadline February 3
Time is running out to submit your abstract of original work or clinical case report to be considered for presentation at the premier cardiovascular ultrasound conference of the year, the 27th Annual ASE Scientific Sessions in Seattle, Washington, June 10-14. Visit the ASE 2016 Call for Abstracts now to make your submission. Presenters benefit from dedicated viewing times, a global audience that promotes future collaborative work, eligibility for travel support, and low conference registration rates. Exceptional research is also considered for the prestigious Arthur E. Weyman Young Investigator’s Award Competition for young investigators under the age of 40 and the Sonographer Investigator’s Award Competition for non-physicians who served as the primary investigator on their project. Visit the ASE 2016 Call for Abstracts for more information. Submission closes Wednesday, February 3. Submit your work today!
January JASE Now Available
“Relationship of Sonographer Credentialing to Intersocietal Accreditation Commission Echocardiography Case Study Image Quality,” by Merri L. Bremer, RN, ACS, RDCS, EdD from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota appears in the January JASE. Merri Bremer says, “I have often witnessed heated discussions regarding whether being credentialed makes you a ‘better’ sonographer, so I chose to examine a small portion of this complex issue for my doctoral dissertation. However, there is so much yet to explore.” The concise conclusion of her paper (which used an image quality score or IQS) is that “In the setting of IAC Echocardiography accreditation, credentialed sonographers achieved higher mean IQSs than noncredentialed sonographers in seven of eight comparisons. However, further research will be required to expand the scope of this inference beyond AS and LV regional dysfunction cases submitted for IAC adult transthoracic echocardiography laboratory accreditation.” Also in this New Year issue are ASE’s guideline on evaluating a cardiac source of embolism, research articles on left ventricular mass and function and valvular heart disease, and an editorial by Alan D. Wagoner, MHS, RDCS, FASE and J. Geoffrey Stevenson, MD, FASE, FACC “The Value of Sonographer Credentialing: An Important First Step,” that comments on Merri Bremer’s article.
Register for Echo Hawaii by December 19 and save $100
Plan to join us for Echo Hawaii, and see why attendees keep coming back after almost three decades! The 26th Annual Echo Hawaii will take place January 18-22, 2016 on the beautiful Kohala Coast at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel. Expert U.S. and international faculty will discuss the latest technologies with a particular focus on how they can be effectively applied in the clinical setting. Download the Advance Program here. Save $100 by registering before December 19. Learn more by visiting ASEcho.org/EchoHawaii.
ASEF at 99% of Their Annual Appeal Goal
Thank you to all the donors who have contributed to the ASE Foundation’s 2015 Annual Appeal and helped to raise 99% of our $225,000 goal so far. As you consider your year-end charitable giving, please consider donating to the ASEF.
Merri Bremer, EdD, RN, RDCS, ACS, FASE, shared why it is important to her to support the Foundation as a monthly sustaining donor. “Early in my career, my mentor suggested joining ASE to provide an avenue for education and professional development. Subsequently, ASE has played a huge part in my career, as I have had the opportunity to participate on committees, the Board of Directors, and the Scientific Sessions. Therefore, I feel committed to “paying it forward” by helping ASEF provide funds for education, humanitarian missions, and research. What a great opportunity to facilitate quality patient care and support our profession!”
Contact the Foundation to learn more about being a sustaining donor.
Calling All Innovators
ASE’s first innovation competition, the Echovation Challenge 2016, is now open for submissions! To learn more about this exciting new initiative, read the press release and for full details and submission guidelines, please visit https://herox.com/Echovation2016. To follow the conversation on Twitter, use #EchovationChallenge2016.
November 2015: Lumason® approved for reimbursement by CMS
To learn more about how to code Bracco’s new ultrasound contrast agent, read the press release here