On March 26, 2010, ASE and the ASEF will celebrate a major milestone with the opening of the ASEF “hands-on” learning laboratory in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, just down the road from the new ASE headquarters offices. The inaugural course, Fundamentals in Echocardiography: A Road to Comprehensive Quantification Using ASE Guidelines , directed by ASE Past President Bijoy Khandheria MD, FASE and myself will be held on March 26 and 27, 2010, in this spectacular new facility.

With the help of 12 generous charter supporters (see the list at the end of this column), ASEF has established the learning lab to help facilitate hands-on learning opportunities for small groups of cardiovascular ultrasound professionals. A 2009 survey of almost 1,200 ASE members indicated that there was a real need for learning opportunities in this type of environment. The ASE and ASEF are proud to be able to assemble world-class faculty to provide practitioners with an opportunity to learn valuable new skills in this state-of-the art computer classroom facility. ASEF Learning Lab courses are two-day intensive sessions and are limited to only 40 participants. This facilitates one-on-one interaction with luminary faculty and allows each participant to receive hands-on training at an individual desktop computer workstation under close supervision.

Inaugural session attendees will experience a day and a half of intensive learning, both lecture-based and hands-on learning, with eight computer workshops throughout the course. Emphasis will be placed on the ASE guidelines for chamber quantification, valvular stenosis and regurgitation, prosthetic valves, use of contrast echocardiography, and stress testing. Each participant will receive a memory stick with all syllabus and course materials. A welcome reception on Friday evening will allow attendees to network and have even more face time with faculty. Participants are encouraged to stay at the brand new Hotel Sierra in Research Triangle Park, (where the reception will be held), to take advantage of complimentary shuttle service to and from the Learning Lab, and back to Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) at the conclusion of Saturday’s session. RDU is a user friendly airport that has been newly renovated and offers a variety of direct flights from the East Coast and major metropolitan cities.

If you are looking for personalized attention, hands-on learning, and new skills that can be put into practice immediately upon returning to your lab, then this is the course for you.

Throughout the year, these courses will address a variety of challenging topics such as three dimensional echocardiography, where participants will learn how to dice and crop 3D data sets, and diastology, where participants will learn how to measure and analyze diastolic echocardiographic data presented in different clinical scenarios. ASE members have also requested a course in which participants would learn “hands-on” about the advantages and limitations of the newer methods used to assess LV function such as tissue Doppler, tissue/texture tracking, dysynchronny, and LV torsion.

Additional learning lab courses are planned for summer and fall 2010, each with a different focus to meet the evolving educational needs of ASE members. Check www.asefoundation.org often for new course updates.

This new venture supports ASEF’s mission of providing for education, quality improvement and professionalism, and helps support ASE to serve its members and the larger community of healthcare providers and patients for whom cardiovascular ultrasound is essential.

Other Foundation news:

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  Don’t miss the first ASEF Awards Gala honoring 2010 ASE award winners on Saturday, June 12 at 7:30 pm in San Diego. Honorees will include Itzhak Kronzon, MD, FASE, the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient; Victor Mor-Avi, PhD, FASE, our Feigenbaum Lecturer; the Meritorious Service Award recipient, Harry Rakowski, MD, FASE; the Richard Popp Excellence in Teaching Award recipient, Vincent L. Sorrell, MD, FASE; the Cardiac Sonographer Distinguished Teacher Award, Carol C. Mitchell, PhD, RDMS, RDCS, RVT, RT(R), FASE; and the Pediatric Excellence in Teaching Award, Nancy A. Ayres, MD, FASE. Tables and tickets are now available for purchase at www.asefoundation.org . Space is limited; reserve now to secure your ticket.

  
  
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  Visit the ASEF in the exhibit hall at ASE 2010 in San Diego, June. We’ll have a special area of the ASE booth where we’ll be ready to update you with the latest Foundation achievements and accept ASEF pledges!

  
  
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  ASEF is funding a 2010 Career Development Award of up to $35,000 for a qualified physician or scientist who is beginning their career in echocardiography. The deadline for applying is March 15, 2010. Visit the Research Awards section of www.asefoundation.org for details.

  
  
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  New Foundation activity! Support members who participate in cardiovascular ultrasound related medical missions. Donate a tax-exempt, charitable contribution at www.asefoundation.org .

  
  
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  ASEF depends on your generous donations and the success of ASEF activities to help fund additional research grants. Direct your tax deductible gift to support research at www.asefoundation.org .