are nomore than five years from the end of their training are eligible toparticipate in this annual competition supported by the NationalBoard of Echocardiography. This year’s finalists were Kenya Kusunose,MD, PhD; Shahryar Chowdhury, MD; Sacha Bhatia, MD, MBA; andAlemelu Ramamurthi, MD. For his work entitled ‘‘An Educational In-tervention Reduces the Rate of Inappropriate Transthoracic Echocar-diograms in Ambulatory Care,’’ Dr. Bhatia was declared the 2013winner and will present his research at the December 2013 EuropeanAssociation of Cardiovascular Imaging meeting and the April 2014Japanese Society of Echocardiography 25th Annual Meeting in Kana-zawa, Japan.

The competition was followed by the first-ever holographicFeigenbaum Lecture, given by Dr. Partho P. Sengupta of the MountSinai School of Medicine. In his presentation, ‘‘Intelligent Platformsfor Disease Assessment: Novel Approaches in Functional,’’Dr. Sengupta gave us a spectacular glimpse into the current stateand future direction of cardiovascular imaging. This was a captivatingpresentation and was nicely contrasted with a narrative fromDr. Feigenbaum which brought us back to the beginning, to his firstencounter with an A-mode imaging machine. It is truly amazinghow far we have come in the last 50 years.

After a hiatus of several years, Echo Jeopardy returned to the Scien-tific Sessions. From the 70s style ‘‘disco’’ introduction to the ‘‘final jeop-ardy’’ round, the event was lively, entertaining, and educational.

The conference ended on Tuesday with ‘‘The Athletes Heart:360 Perspective,’’ keeping with the Hypertrophic Obstructive Car-diomyopathy (HOCM) trend, as well as a number of sessionsaimed to help attendees navigate the changing healthcare environ-ment. We heard many times at the conference about MedPAC’sreport to Congress on Medicare payment differences acrossambulatory settings and its implications for healthcare facilitiesand echocardiography. I encourage you all to stay informed (visitthe Connect@ASE site for recent advocacy news) and to seewhat you can do to help.

The sessions were a great success, with a balance of old and newand glimpses into the future of cardiovascular imaging. The weatherwas perfect and we could not have been happier with the turnout.As always, we welcome and encourage your feedback onConnect@ASE. We truly value our members’ opinions and rely onyour ideas and input in the planning of the Scientific Sessions. Wehope to see you again next year in Portland, when the ASEScientific Sessions celebrate their Silver Anniversary!

COUNCIL ON PEDIATRIC & CONGENITAL HEART DISEASECOMMUNICATION

The Pediatric Track at the ASE Scientific Sessions

The 24th ASE Annual Scientific Sessions took place from June29–July 2, 2013 in Minneapolis, MN. The pediatric and congenitalTrack ran throughout the 4-day meeting, offering attendees a com-prehensive view of current and future practices in echocardiographyfor this challenging patient group. Beautiful weather, Minnesota hos-pitality, and a comfortable venue all served to enhance the experi-ence.

As always, the tremendous scope of our fieldwas on full display, withsessions focusing on fetal echocardiography, the challenges of hypoplas-tic left heart syndrome, and adults with congenital heart disease. Thepopular Echocardiographic, Pathologic, and Surgical Correlations in Congen-ital Heart Disease sessions returned, anchored by echocardiographer/pa-thologist Stephen Sanders and surgeon Harold Burkhart. Throughoutthe day physicians and sonographers gained deeper understanding ofatrial septal defects, double outlet right ventricles, and single ventricles.Everyday practice skills were augmented with sessions aimed at the im-plementation of strain, 3D echocardiography, and dyssynchrony mea-sures. Attendees were also provided a forward look during a jointsession with the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging onemerging imaging technologies including 3D strain, vortex flow, highresolution vascular ultrasound, and high frequency 3D echocardiogra-phy. There was no hanging back as meeting-goers also had a chanceto test their knowledge during Pediatric Echo Jeopardy and take sides inthe Controversies Debates, all while being entertained (and occasionally

shocked) by the competitors. Newthis year were two symposia incollaboration with the othertracks. These focused on diastolicfunction and pulmonary hyperten-sion, and contrasted the adultand congenital disease processes.Another innovative programdevelopment was live scanningfrom the Mayo Clinic of two adultcongenital heart disease patients,complete with scanning andinterpretive tips.

Echocardiography science remained a cornerstoneof theprogram.Arecord number of high-quality abstracts were on display during theposter sessions. The oral abstract session, in which young researchersshared their insights, sparked interesting discussions and highlightedthe drive toward quantitative measures of ventricular function. The di-versity and strength of research in pediatric echocardiographywas ines-capable.

Importantly, the Annual Scientific Sessions provide a unique oppor-tunity for the pediatric/congenital echocardiography community togather, celebrate, and reflect. This year’s Founder’s Award in recognitionof continued major scholarly contributions to the field of pediatric and

Andrew J. Powell, MD

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congenital echocardiographywas presented to Jack Rychik. His accom-plishments includemore than 170 publications, and serving the ASE aschair of the pediatric council and as amember of theBoard ofDirectors.In his address, Jack thanked his family and mentors, hypothesized howfetal blood flow patterns may impact neurocognitive outcomes,shared Rychik’s 5 rules, and gave us a peek at his dog Lucky’s echo.The year’s Fireside Chat featured Jeffrey Smallhorn, a past Founder’sAward recipient, who recounted the early days of echocardiographyand gave valuable advice about research, a balanced life, and LandRover engines.

Planning is already underway for next year’s pediatric track at theASE Scientific Sessions, which will be held June 21–24, 2014, at theOregon Convention Center, Portland, OR. There will be a broadrange of topics to meet the educational goals of physicians andsonographers, and to impact your practice. A diverse national andinternational expert faculty will again be recruited. This will also bea terrific opportunity to showcase your best science and interactwith other researchers. The venue is spectacular, with unforgettableoutdoor activities, exceptional restaurants, and exciting nightlife. Welook forward to meeting you there!

24th Annual Scientific Sessions Highlights, June 29–July 2

Outgoing ASE President Patricia A. Pellikka, MD, FASE, at-tended the ASE Foundation Gala with her husband Jay Ryu.

James B. Seward, MD, FASE, who attended the ASE Founda-tion Gala with his wife Judith, received the ASE 2013 PhysicianLifetime Achievement Award.

Jack Rychik, MD, with his wife Susan at the ASE FoundationGala. Dr. Rychik is the 2013 recipient of the Council on Pediatricand Congenital Heart Disease Founder’s Award.

Jack S. Shanewise, MD, FASE, received the 2013 OutstandingAchievement in Perioperative Echocardiography Award. He at-tended the ASE Foundation Gala with his wife Phillis.

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