Vera H. Rigolin, MD, FASE

Nashville is the land of country music. From June 22-26, 2018, Nashville will also be the land of cardiovascular ultrasound as it hosts ASE’s 29 ^th Annual Scientific Sessions at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. Come join cardiovascular ultrasound enthusiasts from all over the world for five days of research, innovation, practical learning, and networking. Congratulations to Sunil Mankad, MD, FASE, and Merri Bremer, Ed.D., RN, ACS, RDCS, FASE, for organizing a fantastic program that should not be missed.

The Scientific Sessions are ASE’s most important event of the year. Why should YOU travel to Nashville for this event? Let me try to convince you by first sharing my personal experiences with this meeting.

I joined ASE in 1996 and attended my very first ASE Scientific Sessions in 1997. Prior to that time, I had regularly attended the annual Scientific Sessions of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA). Although my experiences with presenting my research and attending educational sessions at these meetings were (and continue to be) invaluable, at that time I felt overwhelmed by the large size of these meetings, particularly as a young person who wanted to advance her career. My view on educational meetings changed completely when I started to attend ASE’s Scientific Sessions. The smaller, more intimate size felt comfortable. I was grateful for the ability to attend more educational sessions due to the close proximity of the rooms (no need to walk from one end of a giant convention center to another!). Importantly, I was exhilarated by the opportunity to interact with others with similar interests as mine. ASE understands the value of networking and incorporates numerous opportunities for social interaction throughout the meeting. By attending these events, I found that “rubbing shoulders” with the luminaries of the field was actually possible! Although ASE has grown considerably since I first attended its annual meeting in 1997, the intimate feel of the annual meeting is preserved.

This year’s ASE Scientific Sessions is jam-packed with educational opportunities for all CV ultrasound enthusiasts. As in the past, there will be Symposia covering a broad range of topics as well as specialized tracks in Pediatrics, Circulation Ultrasound, Perioperative Imaging, Point of Care Ultrasound, and Essentials of Echocardiography. All sessions will include scintillating cases to aid in learning. Make sure you download the ASE Courses App from Google Play or the Apple app store. There you will find the final Scientific Sessions program and the opportunity for active participation in the sessions, including the use of audience response and the ability to ask questions during the lectures using your smart phone. You will also receive updates on any session changes or highlights throughout the meeting.

Looking through the advance program, these are some sessions I am really excited about attending.

Learning Labs: These are small-group, hands-on sessions covering strain and 3D echo. These sessions will be held on Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday.

Chalk Talks: These informal, small group sessions will be held during selected breaks throughout the program. Luminaries in the field will help you understand basic and challenging CV imaging topics like strain, stress echo, diastology, and a career in pediatric cardiology.

The exhibit hall will also contain the ASE headquarters booth. Make sure you stop by as this booth will feature a whole schedule of “meet-ups” on topics such as “How to get FASE,” “Meet the editors of JASE and CASE,” and “Learn about the Leadership Academy,” among many others. Another booth you will not want to miss is the ASE Foundation Booth! Here you can sign up for the cardiovascular challenge, tour the awe-inspiring Images from the Heart photo exhibition, join the Chain Reaction donation competition, and more.

Did you ever wonder what the future holds? This year’s Scientific Sessions will provide a glimpse of what’s to come by showcasing cutting-edge research in cardiovascular ultrasound. Sessions dedicated to topics such as novel concepts of diastology, microbubbles, structural heart disease, and cardio-oncology, to name a few, will be interspersed throughout the meeting. Daily poster sessions promise to be highly informative as current research is discussed and displayed by young as well as established scientists. Come and support our young sonographers and physicians as they present their research at the Sonographer and Young Investigator competitions on Monday afternoon.

Other sessions that caught my eye include the following.