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Temple's Susan E. Wiegers, MD, FACC, FASE, Elected President of the American Society of Echocardiography

News June 15, 2015

Temple's Susan E. Wiegers, MD, FACC, FASE, Elected President of the American Society of EchocardiographySusan E. Wiegers, MD, FACC, FASE, Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Professor of Medicine at Temple University School of Medicine, has taken the helm as president of the 16,000 member American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) for a one-year term following the Society's 26th Annual Scientific Sessions, which were held this week in Boston, MA.

At the association's annual business meeting, Dr. Wiegers shared the organization's four new strategic goals and how these will ensure that the field of cardiovascular ultrasound continues to grow and thrive. "I am confident that echocardiography will be the best value proposition for quality cardiac imaging in the changing health care environment," Dr. Wiegers commented, "and I look forward to working with the members of the Society to strengthen its role in patient care."

In addition to being Professor of Medicine and Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs at Temple University School of Medicine, Dr. Wiegers is also an attending physician in cardiology at Temple University Hospital. Prior to joining Temple in February 2012, Wiegers was an Associate Professor of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where she was also Director of the Echocardiography Lab.

Dr. Wiegers earned her medical degree from the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY, and completed internships in internal medicine at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY, a fellowship in cardiology at Boston University School of Medicine, and a fellowship in echocardiography at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is board certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease, and is NBE certified in echocardiography.

She has published three echocardiography textbooks and numerous peer reviewed journal articles. She also serves as a reviewer for Circulation, Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography, Echocardiography, Circulation Imaging, Journal of the American College of Cardiology Imaging, Annals of Internal Medicine, and Heart. She has been involved in numerous organizing roles including serving as co-course director for the ASE's ASCeXAM/ReASCE Review Course from 2009-2011; as chair of the ASE Scientific Sessions in 2011; and as co-chair of the joint ASE/ACC session at the ACC's annual Scientific Sessions in 2012. Dr. Wiegers was awarded the Richard Popp Excellence in Teaching award by ASE in 2007. She has a long record of service on ASE committees, including her role as a member of the Scientific Sessions Committee, a member of the Awards Committee, and as chair of the Education Planning & Oversight Committee. In addition, she has served as a faculty member of numerous Scientific Sessions including roles as co-chair for a session on 3-D echocardiography for the ASE Scientific Sessions in Toronto in 2008; and as abstract co-chair and then chair for the Scientific Sessions from 2008-2010.

Joining her as new members of the 2015-2016 Executive Committee are Vice President Vera Rigolin, MD, FASE, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Treasurer Benjamin Eidem, MD, FASE, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN; and Deborah Agler, RCT, RDMS, FASE, of Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH.

Continuing ASE officers include President-Elect Allan Klein, MD, FASE, of Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH; Council Representative Joe Kreeger, RCCS, RDCS, FASE, of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA; and Immediate Past President Neil Weissman, MD, FASE, of MedStar Research Institute, Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC.

In addition to the new officers, the ASE membership has elected the following new board of directors members to three-year terms: Federico Asch, MD, FASE, Medstar Research Institute, Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC; Steven Little, MD, FASE, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX; Maryellen Orsinelli, RN, RDCS, FASE, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH; Elaine Shea, RDCS, FASE, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, Berkeley, CA; and Raymond Stainback, MD, FASE, Texas Heart Institute, Houston, TX. In addition, Cynthia Taub, MD, FASE, Montefiore Medical Center, Old Greenwich, CT, was elected to fill a two-year vacated position and Leo Lopez, MD, FASE, Miami Children's Hospital, Miami, FL, to fill a one-year vacated position.