American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) 25th Annual Scientific Sessions 2014

As this year’s Program Chair, I would like to extend a warm welcome and invite you to the American Society of Echocardiography’s 25 th Annual Scientific Sessions Silver Anniversary. ASE’s annual meeting is an exciting, cutting-edge educational program with a superb and experienced faculty. We are proud to offer many different types of learning experiences including lectures, case-based presentations, debates, sessions from the basics to extreme echo, and, of course, the newest research on cardiovascular ultrasound. The meeting also provides plenty of opportunities to personally interact with our faculty in social settings.

An added draw for this year’s meeting is the location. The host city, Portland, Oregon, is known for its natural beauty, friendliness, rich culture, and many offerings for outdoor pursuits. The conference is in close proximity to the stunning Northwest Pacific coast, which is dotted with quaint coastal communities, and also to the Cascade mountain range, home to Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge with its dramatic vistas, waterfalls, and hiking trails. Whether you enjoy hiking, biking, kayaking, or auto-touring, the area is rich with some of the most striking natural beauty in the U.S. The city itself is also well known for its parks; the Rose Garden, Japanese Garden, and Chinese Garden are not to be missed and will be beautiful in June.

Portland is quickly becoming an international destination for food lovers and last year was ranked fifth in the nation for food/drink/restaurants by Travel + Leisure Magazine . It is known for microbreweries, food trucks, “Voodoo Donuts”, coffee, and the Willamette Valley wine district which is lovely in June and offers over 100 wineries within about an hour’s drive of Portland. The local Northwest cuisine is not to be missed nor are the famous Portland farmers’ markets which provide the freshest local products.