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)
- 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)
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. Due to the superb quality of the applications received in 2024, the Foundation awarded four grants. Please join us in congratulating the winners listed below.
Additional application information available here.
EDGES Grant Recipients – 2024
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| Sae Jang, MD is a clinical instructor and NIH T32 research fellow at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Department of Cardiology. She will be studying how the biomechanical properties of capillaries change in diabetes using microbubbles, ultrasound, and high-speed intravital microscopy of the rat cremaster muscle. This grant will help investigate if microbubbles and ultrasound can be developed as a diagnostic tool for early capillary structural changes in microvascular disease. | James MacNamara, MD is an assistant professor at the University of Texas Southwestern, where he specializes in the care of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, advanced echocardiography, and exercise physiology. He leads an active research program aimed at understanding the limitations to exercise in patients with HCM and how these patients respond to therapies, such as cardiac myosin inhibitors or exercise training. | |
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| David McNamara, MD, MPH, is a non-invasive board-certified cardiologist at Corewell Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Dr. McNamara is currently a member of the Advanced Imaging section at Corewell Health and is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Michigan State University. He also serves as the Advance Imaging Fellowship Program Director. His research interest focuses on radiation safety during structural heart procedures and the role of radiation protection devices in clinical practice, specifically focusing on interventional echocardiographers. | Minh Bao Nguyen, MD, FASE, is a Pediatric Cardiologist and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Nguyen is interested in developing a foundation model on pediatric echocardiograms to predict adverse events in pediatric Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. His career ambitions involve evaluating technological innovations in echocardiography and translating them into clinical practice. |
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
The Pamela S. Douglas, MD, FASE Research Scholar Award supports 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.
Pamela S. Douglas, MD, FASE Research Scholar Award Recipients
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| Yasufumi Nagata, MD, PhD Massachusetts General Hospital |
Hema Krishna, MD University of Illinois Health |
| 2021 | 2023 |
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.
2023 TOMTEC Innovator Research Grant Recipient:Juan Cotella, MD, from University of Chigaco Medical Center.
Click here for a complete list of the TOMTEC Innovator Research Travel Grant recipients.
