This ASE Foundation global health outreach event was supported by donor contributions to the 2022 Annual Appeal as well as in-kind contributions from our Partners in Care.
Sa Pa • Hanoi
September 2023
Overview │ Team │ Partners in Care │ Outreach & Research │ Education
ASEF is thrilled to welcome the return of its in-person global health events. This September 2023 effort was four years in the making! Originally planned for Spring 2020, the team pivoted due to the COVID pandemic and participated in virtual engagements with our Vietnam collaborators in 2020 and 2021, which further enhanced the in-country work this team was then able to accomplish in 2023. This event was dedicated to the memory of ASE member Gregory Tatum, MD, FASE, Duke University pediatric cardiologist, who donated much time and effort to global outreach work before his untimely passing from cancer last year.
In collaboration with the Vietnam National Heart Institute at Bach Mai Hospital our team of ASEF volunteers traveled to Sapa in Northern Vietnam to host a two-day medical outreach and research event. During the outreach, the team collected population health data on cardiovascular disease risk factors from the regional ethnic communities and scanned 852 adult and pediatric patients in two days, using high quality machines provided by our industry collaborators. We identified many patients with previously undiagnosed heart disease who were then treated by on-site Vietnamese cardiologists.
While in Sapa, the team also conducted a research project to study the accuracy of nonexpert practitioners using handheld ultrasound devices for screening high-risk subjects in remote communities. In rural areas with limited medical resources, efforts such as this to facilitate earlier access to effective diagnosis and treatment are aimed to reduce the risk of disease progression.
After returning to Hanoi, our team participated in the Vietnam-America Echocardiography Symposium at Bach Mai Hospital, consisting of two days of lectures and case presentations for over 150 clinicians from across Northern and Central Vietnam. The team also spent time in the hospital’s adult and pediatric cardiac units.
A feature story about this event will be highlighted in the December 2023 issue of Echo magazine. Learn more about the Foundation’s previous work in Vietnam in October 2017, August 2015, and April 2013.
Team Leaders
Jose Banchs, MD, FASE – The University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, Colorado
James Kirkpatrick MD, FASE – University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, Washington
Hoai Thi Thu Nguyen, MD, PhD – Vietnam National Heart Institute, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
Medical Team
Judith Becker, MD – Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas
Joan Brennan, RDCS – Hackensack Meridian Health, Toms River, New Jersey
Eglé Burdulis, RDCS, FASE – Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire
Can Thuy Do, MD – Vietnam National Heart Institute, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
Danielle Gravlin, RDCS – University of Michigan, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Jennifer Hake, RDCS, RDMS, RVT, FASE – Seattle Children’s Hospital, Tacoma, Washington
Yuchi Han, MD, MMSc, FASE – The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
Bang Thi Phu Hoang, MD – Vietnam National Heart Institute, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
Rajesh Janardhanan, MD, MRCP, FASE – Banner University Medical Center, Tucson, Arizona
Kameswari Maganti, MD, FASE – Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
Jane Marshall, RDCS, FASE – Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
Hung Manh Pham, MD, PhD – Vietnam National Heart Institute, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
Thao Thi Thanh Pham, MD – Vietnam National Heart Institute, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
Trung Le Pham, MD – Sa Pa Hospital, Sa Pa, Vietnam
Viet Tuan Pham, MD – Vietnam National Heart Institute, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
Tho Dinh Phung, MD – Vietnam National Heart Institute, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
Duc Minh Tran, MSc – Vietnam National Heart Institute, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
Hai Son Tran, MD – Vietnam National Heart Institute, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
Phuong Minh Tran, MD – Vietnam National Heart Institute, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
Yen Hai Tran, MD, PhD – Vietnam National Heart Institute, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
Ha Viet Trinh, MD, PhD – Vietnam National Heart Institute, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
Phu Hong Vu, MD – Vietnam National Heart Institute, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
Yan Wang, RDCS, FASE – The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Neil Weissman, MD, FASE – MedStar Health Research Institute, Hyattsville, Maryland
Partners in Care
Philips Vietnam
Hamedco Medical Devices
Medivest
Dr. Lab
Cảm ơn, thank you, to all our team members and collaborators in this event. It would not have been possible without you!
Outreach & Research
Education
