17th Annual Research Awards Gala

The ASE Foundation’s premiere fundraising event, the Annual Research Awards Gala, will take place Saturday, June 27, 2026 from 6:30 – 11:00 PM in the Colorado Ballroom of the Gaylord Rockies Resort. Join us for an evening to celebrate cardiovascular ultrasound research and honor ASE’s 2026 Award Winners.

Event Details:
Gaylord Rockies Resort
Colorado Ballroom
Saturday, June 27, 2026
6:30 – 11:00 PM

Join us in congratulating the 2026 ASE Award Winners!

Physician Lifetime Achievement Award
Sherif Nagueh, MD, FASE
Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX

Sonographer Lifetime Achievement Award
Ken Horton, ACS, RCS, FASE
Intermountain Heart Institute, Mascotte, FL

Richard Popp Excellence in Teaching Award
Smadar Kort, MD, FASE
Stony Brook University Medical Center, Stony Brook, NY

Circulation & Vascular Ultrasound Council Luminary Award
Bryan Wells, MD, FASE
Emory Healthcare, Atlanta, GA

PCHD Council Founders’ Award for Lifetime Achievement
Luc Mertens, MD, PhD, FASE
The Hospital of Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Outstanding Achievement in Perioperative Echocardiography Award
G. Burkhard Mackensen, MD, PhD, FASE
University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Mentorship Award
Vince Sorrell, MD, FASE
University of Kentucky Gill Heart & Vascular Institute, Lexington, KY

Meritorious Service Award
Merri Bremer, EdD, RN, ACS, RDCS, FASE
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

Thank You to this year’s Table Captains

Advocate
Dr. Theodore Abraham on behalf of University of California, San Francisco – Schiller Legacy Table
Dr. Federico Asch on behalf of MedStar Health Research Institute
Bracco Diagnostics
Dr. Linda Gillam and Dr. Samuel Siu – King Legacy Table (Two Tables)
Dr. G. Burkhard Mackensen & Dr. Alina Nicoara – Feigenbaum Legacy Table
Dr. Akhil Narang & Dr. Vera Rigolin on behalf of Northwestern University
National Board of Echocardiography
Dr. Geoffrey Rose on behalf of Advocate Health – Weyman Legacy Table
Siemens Healthineers
Vince and Amanda Sorrell
Dr. Jordan Strom on behalf of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Dr. Adel Younoszai on behalf of Children’s Hospital Colorado
Dr. William Zoghbi on behalf of Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center

Benefactor
Dr. Judy Hung on behalf of Massachusetts General Hospital
Dr. Laura Mercer-Rosa & Mrs. Melissa Wasserman on behalf of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Dr. Jae K. Oh – Hatle Legacy Table
Dr. Geoffrey Rose on behalf of Advocate Health
Dr. Lissa Sugeng on behalf of the New England Society of Echocardiography
Dr. Jeremy Thaden on behalf of Mayo Clinic (Two Tables)

Patron
Dr. Judith Becker & Dr. Carolyn Altman on behalf of Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital
Dr. Merri Bremer
Cardiovascular Credentialing International (Two Tables)
Dr. Dali Fan on behalf of the Chinese American Heart Association (Two Tables)
Dr. Housam Hegazy on behalf of SUNY Upstate
Dr. Smadar Kort
Dr. Rebecca LeLeiko on behalf of ASE’s Circulation & Vascular Ultrasound Council
Dr. David Min on behalf of Dartmouth Health
Dr. Koh Eun Narm on behalf of SUNY Upstate
Dr. Karl Richardson on behalf of the ASE Leadership Academy
Dr. David Wiener on behalf of Thomas Jefferson University
Dr. Qiong (Joan) Zhao on behalf of Inova Fairfax Hospital