Adams Global Service Award

The ASE Foundation offers numerous student, sonographer, and fellow travel grants and scholarships to support training and educational conference participation. By fostering the next generation of cardiovascular ultrasound professionals, the ASE Foundation is ensuring that echocardiography continues to play a prominent role in the future of healthcare.

Click here to learn about other financial support opportunities from the ASE Foundation.

Feigenbaum Cardiovascular Sonographer Student Travel Grant

The Feigenbaum Cardiovascular Sonographer Student Travel Grant is supported by a grant to the ASE Foundation from Elsevier, Inc., to honor Dr. Harvey Feigenbaum’s commitment and tenure as the former editor of the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography (JASE) for 20 years. The award is presented to a sonographer student enrolled in an accredited cardiac ultrasound program. This grant provides funding to assist a student to attend ASE’s Annual Scientific Sessions or another ASE-sponsored educational course. Each grant amount is $1,000 and includes a complimentary registration to ASE’s Annual Scientific Sessions.

Click here for nomination criteria.
Click here for a complete list of Feigenbaum Cardiovascular Sonographer Student Travel Grant recipients.

Alan D. Waggoner Student Scholarship Award

Established in 2001 in recognition of Mr. Waggoner’s professional achievements and service to ASE, the Alan D. Waggoner Student Scholarship Award funds scholarships of $1,000, which also includes complimentary registration for ASE’s Annual Scientific Sessions, and annual meeting travel support. The Alan D. Waggoner Student Scholarship Award is given to sonographer students enrolled in CAAHEP accredited educational programs who exhibit a passion for the discipline of echocardiography and demonstrate leadership abilities. Beginning in 2016, the Katanick Scholarship Award was established to honor the legacy of Sandy Katanick, RN, RVT, CAE, who retired as CEO of the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission after over 25 years of service to the field. This award will be given annually and includes a $1,000 student scholarship for the highest ranking Waggoner Student Scholarship candidate nominated for ASEF scholarship awards. The award also includes a $1,000 travel grant to attend the ASE Scientific Sessions.

Click here for nomination criteria.
Click here for a complete list of Alan D. Waggoner Student Scholarship Award recipients.
Click here for a complete list of the Katanick Student Scholarship Award recipients.

ASEF Council Travel Grants

The ASE Foundation funds Council Travel Grants each spring for trainees to support their attendance at the ASE Annual Scientific Sessions. These grants are part of an ongoing effort by the Foundation and the Council Steering Committees to encourage trainees in cardiovascular specialties to focus on the respective echocardiography subspecialty and to recruit enthusiastic new members to the Councils. By facilitating their attendance at the annual meeting, these grants provide trainees with a deeper understanding of the imaging field, and cultivate the development of meaningful mentoring relationships with established imaging faculty.

Click here for application information. 2025 application will open February 2025.
Click here for a complete list of ASEF Council Travel Grant recipients.

Questions may be directed to awards@asecho.org.

The David Adams Global Service Award is a $1,500 travel grant is given annually to one sonographer volunteer who is participating in an ASEF global health event for their first time. Application for this award is included in the global health event application. This award was established in 2016 in honor of David B. Adams, ACS, RCS, RDCS, FASE, previously of Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina. Mr. Adams has contributed to the success of the ASEF humanitarian missions with his international mission experience, clinical skills, and leadership abilities.

Click here for a complete list of the Adams Global Service Award recipients.

Retired Awards

Farooq Chaudhry Research Award

This award was supported by a grant to the ASE Foundation from Bracco Diagnostics Inc. in memory of Farooq Chaudhry, MD, FASE, who passed in August 2017. Dr. Chaudhry was dedicated to education and research on the clinical use of stress echocardiography, and fittingly this travel stipend was presented to the highest ranked abstract on this topic.

2018: Nahoko Kato, MD, Tokyo Bay Medical Center, Urayasu, Japan

UltraEcho, Ltd. Cardiovascular Sonographer Student Travel Grant

The UltraEcho, Ltd. Cardiovascular Sonographer Student Travel Grant was supported by a grant to the ASE Foundation. It was presented to a sonographer student enrolled in an accredited cardiovascular ultrasound program from 2008 – 2019. This grant provided funding to assist a student to attend ASE’s Annual Scientific Sessions or another ASE-sponsored educational course.

Click here for a complete list of UltraEcho, Ltd. Cardiovascular Sonographer Student Travel Grant recipients.

In this era of dwindling government research funding and support for research fellowships, the ASE Foundation plays a crucial role in supporting the progress and future of our field through investment in the discovery process and in the careers of investigators. Funding in this area preserves dedicated time for investigators through research grants, and also creates opportunities for researchers to interact with global experts in cardiovascular ultrasound, building relationships that lead to future research and professional collaborations.

Early-career Development Grant for Echo Scientists (EDGES) Request for Application – NOW OPEN
Impact of Echo Report Recommendations for Severe Valvular Heart Disease Research Grant
Pamela S. Douglas Research Scholar Award
Innovation in Cardiovascular Ultrasound Research Grants
E21 Research Grant
ASEF Value Grant

Research Investigator Support

Top Investigator Travel Grant
Arthur E. Weyman Young Investigator’s Award Competition
Brian Haluska Sonographer Research Award Competition
TomTec Innovator Research Travel Grant

Research Studies

Early-career Development Grant for Echo Scientists (EDGES) Request for Application

Federal and American Heart Association funding opportunities for early career scientists in cardiovascular imaging are continuing to decline. Accordingly, other societal awards can potentially play an increasing role to promote research activities for those investigators who are early in their professional careers in field of echocardiography. The EDGES Grant is designed to address this gap. It also aligns with several important initiatives set forward by the ASE which include providing support and professional development opportunities for early career members in the Society, and the desire to create avenues for the continued evolution of echocardiography through technical advancement and through new applications to meet the complex needs of increasingly complex patient populations. The grant will provide three grants of $25K maximum to fund projects that will address a clinical gap in cardiovascular ultrasound imaging through research led by an early career scientist. An early career scientist is defined as an eligible member that has completed their terminal degree of training within seven years of submitting the application.

Application closed. More information available here.

EDGES Grant Recipients – 2023


Chieh-Ju Chao, MD, an academic cardiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., plans to use the funding for a collaborative project he is spearheading between Mayo Clinic and Stanford University Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence that seeks to develop an artificial intelligence-enabled echocardiography copilot reporting system.	Xuan Ding, MD, PhD, a cardiovascular disease fellow at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., will use the grant to fund his research interests in the development of cardiovascular ultrasound and echocardiographic technology and its applications to clinical cardiovascular medicine.	Son “Sonny” Duong, MD, MS, an assistant professor of pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Cardiology at the Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Heart Center and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, secured the funding for his research focused on the utilization of large data sets and machine-learning technologies to analyze cardiac diagnostics and patient risk prediction.

Impact of Echo Report Recommendations for Severe Valvular Heart Disease Research Grant

The Impact of Echo Report Recommendations for Severe Valvular Heart Disease Research Grant will provide 2-year funding that aims to examine the impact of embedded echocardiography report interventions on referral patterns and outcomes in patients newly diagnosed by echocardiography with severe aortic stenosis (AS). This study in particular will examine the role of a primary care provider and referral patterns to a cardiac specialist for patients presenting with severe AS, though the study may be expanded to include other forms of severe valve disease. One grant will be awarded by ASE through its Foundation, with the support of funding from Edwards Lifesciences.

Application is closed. More information available here.

Pamela S. Douglas, MD, FASE Research Scholar Award

NEW: The Pamela S. Douglas, MD, FASE Research Scholar Award will support the future of echocardiographic research by granting one-year (12 months) scholarships to support clinical or translational research scholars in advanced cardiovascular ultrasound research. The Pamela S. Douglas, MD, FASE Research Scholar Fund of $375,000 will support a total of five, one-year scholarships of $75,000 each. One scholarship of $75,000 USD will be awarded every alternate year.

Application for funding is closed. More information available here.

2021 Pamela S. Douglas, MD, FASE Research Scholar Award Recipient

Yasufumi Nagata, MD, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital

“I am deeply grateful and excited to receive the Pamela S. Douglas, MD, FASE Research Scholar Award. It will advance my career growth as an independent investigator conducting impactful echocardiography-based research. It provides an opportunity to connect advanced echocardiographic technology with physiology to find innovative solutions for reducing mitral valve regurgitation and heart failure in patients with cardiac dysfunction. I am inspired by the leadership role model of Dr. Pamela Douglas and by mentors who include Drs. Judy Hung and Robert Levine in Boston, Yutaka Otsuji and Masaaki Takeuchi of Sangyo Medical University, William Zoghbi and Carlos El-Tallawi with their novel measurement of 3D mitral valve strain as a noninvasive window into cardiac biomechanics, and Joyce Bischoff and Elena Aikawa in Boston to bridge echocardiography with cellular and molecular therapeutic targets for clinical translation and improved patient outcomes.”

Innovation in Cardiovascular Ultrasound Research Grants

In 2021, the ASE Foundation offered two grants of up to $45,000 each for meritorious echocardiographic research proposals relevant to the innovation cardiovascular ultrasound. Of particular interest were proposals that expand the key role of echocardiography, or the development of novel technology, in clinical diagnosis or management. Additional information available here.

2021 Innovation in Cardiovascular Ultrasound Research Grant Recipients

Olivier Villemain, MD, PhD, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto for “Myocardial Stiffness and Coronary Microperfusion Assessment for Early Detection of Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy in Children After Cardiac Transplantation: Human Application of Ultrafast Ultrasound Imaging”
Bethel Woldu, MD, MPH, Medstar Heart and Vascular Institute for “Non-invasive Assessment of Myocardial Work to Differentiate TTR Cardiac Amyloidosis from Hypertensive Cardiomyopathy”

E21 Research Grant for Clinician-Scientist and Engineering Partnership Program

This program provided funding for research that aimed to use engineering solutions to solve a relevant clinical problem in cardiovascular ultrasound. In 2019, the ASE Foundation offered funding in partnership with the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, the National Board of Echocardiography, Inc., Bracco, Inc., and Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc. Three grants of up to $200,000 each were available and the recipients were also eligible for travel support to present the results of their projects at future ASE and AIUM scientific meetings.

2019 E21 Research Grant Recipients

Oliver Kripfgans, PhD, FAIUM, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, for Bedside Cardiovascular Monitoring of Neonates with Patent Ductus Arteriosus
Babak Nazer, MD, Knight Cardiovascular Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, for Echocardiographic Optimization of Ultrasound Septal Reduction for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Patricia Pellikka, MD, FASE, Division of Cardiovascular Ultrasound, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, for DeepEcho: Echocardiogram Image Normalization Using Deep Learning for Detection and Prognostication of Heart Failure

The ASE Foundation Value Grant

The Foundation’s 2014 Value Grant was a $200,000 multi-year grant targeting fusion imaging. Learn more about this study here: “Echocardiographic Evaluation of Hemodynamic Significance of Coronary Stenosis in Patients with Chest Pain Undergoing CT Angiography.”

2014 – 2015 Value Grant Recipient

Victor Mor-Avi, PhD, FASE, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

Victor Mor-Avi, PhD, FASE, presented the results of this research project at the 2017 Scientific Sessions. The full presentation is available below:

Research Investigator Support

The presentation of original research on the latest advances in cardiovascular ultrasound from around the world is an integral component of ASE’s educational meetings. Young researchers are the scientific heart of our field, and each year ASE Foundation funding supports competitions to recognize exceptional work and travel grants to assist investigators with their travel expenses.

Top Investigator Travel Grant

The presentation of original research from around the world illustrating exciting new developments in cardiovascular ultrasound is an integral component of ASE’s Annual Scientific Sessions. Each year, a special group of investigators are selected as the ASE Foundation’s Top Investigators. These early career abstract presenters are selected by the Abstract Chairs based on the scientific merit of their research projects and are awarded grants to offset his/her Scientific Sessions travel expenses. Beginning in 2018, the Alan S. Pearlman Research Award was established to honor Dr. Pearlman’s ten years of service as JASE Editor-In-Chief. Supported by a grant to the ASE Foundation by Elsevier, this annual award of $1,000 is given to the overall highest scoring early career investigator. New in 2023, the Michael H. Picard Research Award was established to honor Dr. Picard’s five years of service as JASE Editor-In-Chief. Supported by a grant to the ASE Foundation by Elsevier, this annual award of $1,000 will be given to the overall highest scoring abstract submitted to the annual ASE Scientific Sessions by a trainee.

To be eligible for consideration for a 2025 Top Investigator Travel Grant, investigators must have an abstract of original research accepted for presentation at ASE 2025.

2024 Alan S. Pearlman Research Award Winner:
Luca Cristin, MD – University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

2024 Michael H. Picard Research Award Winner:
Lakshay Chopra, MD – Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, New York, NY

2024 Top Investigators

Mohamad Alabdaljabar, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Nour Beydoun, MD, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
Mireille Bherer, BS, Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec – Université Laval/Quebec Heart and Lung Institute, Québec, QC, Canada
M. Bowling, MD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
Pranav Chandrashekar, MD, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR
Wei-Tao Chang, National Taiwan University & TACS-Alliance Research Center, Taipei
Enrique Coca Frias, BS, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, OR
Son Duong, MD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
Jeremiah Haines, DO, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Lyndsey Hunter-Adamson, MD, Stanford University at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Palo Alto, CA
Kyle Kapcin, DO, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA
Amogh Karnik, MD, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL
Jim Lu, BA, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD
Thalia Melamed, Queen Mary University of London Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, London
Heidi Messiha, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin, Wauwatosa, WI
Divyanshu Mohananey, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin, Mequon, WI
Hinduja Nallamala, DO, Aurora Cardiovascular and Thoracic Services, Aurora Sinai/Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Centers, Aurora Health Care, Milwaukee, WI
Daniel O’Meara, MD, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Matthew Peters, MD, Aurora Cardiovascular and Thoracic Services, Aurora Sinai/Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Centers, Aurora Health Care, Milwaukee, WI
Mitchell Pleasure, BA, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY
Chase Poulsen, BS, Campbell University, Lillington, NC
Anushree Puttur, MD, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA
Jeffrey Shuler, MD, University of Colorado, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO
Rasmus Sindre, University of Bergen, Bergen
Carolina Stangenhaus, Unidade de Ecocardiografia, Instituto do Coração, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo
Daniel Stein – The Brooklyn Hospital, Brooklyn, NY
Lionel Tastet, PhD, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Benjamin Terhaar, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY
Juan Vasquez-Rodriguez, MD, Fundacion Cardiovascular de Colombia, Bogota D.C

Click here for a list of past Top Investigator Travel Grant recipients.

Arthur E. Weyman Young Investigator’s Award Competition

Young investigators under the age of 40 who are no more than five years from the end of their training are eligible for this annual competition supported by the National Board of Echocardiography (NBE) in honor of their first president, Arthur E. Weyman, MD, FASE. Four finalists are selected to present their research to a panel of experts during the opening plenary sessions of the Annual ASE Scientific Sessions in June. The winner is then invited to present his/her research at the upcoming European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging’s EuroEcho-Imaging meeting in December, and the Japanese Society of Echocardiography’s Annual Scientific Meeting the following spring.

2024 Arthur E. Weyman Young Investigator’s Award Competition Winner:
Robert McRae, MD – University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA

Click here for a list of past Arthur E. Weyman Young Investigator’s Award Competition winners.

To be eligible for consideration for the 2025 competition, investigators must have an abstract of original research accepted for presentation at ASE 2025.

Brian Haluska Sonographer Research Award Competition

The ASE Foundation’s annual Sonographer Investigator’s Award Competition was renamed as the Brian Haluska Sonographer Research Award Competition to honor the late Brian Haluska, PhD, MSC (HONS), MSC, RDCS, AMS, FASE and his incredible contributions to sonographer-led research over the course of his career. Designed to highlight and support sonographer-led research, this annual competition recognizes non-physicians who served as the primary investigator on their project of original research. Four finalists are selected to present their work to a panel of judges during the ASE Annual Scientific Sessions.

2024 Brian Haluska Sonographer Research Award Competition Winner:
Babitha Thampinathan, CRCS, RDCS, FASE – Mohawk-McMaster Institute for Applied Health Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Click here for a list of past Sonographer Investigator’s Award Competition winners.

To be eligible for consideration for the 2025 competition, investigators must have an abstract of original research accepted for presentation at ASE 2025.

TOMTEC Innovator Research Travel Grant

Supported by a grant to the ASE Foundation from TOMTEC Imaging Systems, this annual award is given to assist a promising young researcher presenting his/her work at the ASE Annual Scientific Sessions. Application is open to investigators under 40 years of age who have an abstract accepted for presentation in one of the following research categories: novel technologies (3D, Doppler, or strain), valvular heart disease, or ventricular function. For more than 20 years, TOMTEC has driven innovations in echocardiography and the ASE Foundation thanks them for investing in the young researchers who will continue to drive our field forward.