AIUM and the ASE Foundation Announce Three E21 Research Grants for Clinician-Scientist and Engineering Partnerships

DURHAM, NC - The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine's (AIUM) Endowment for Education and Research, the ASE Foundation, and the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) are pleased to announce the funding of three, highly innovative research proposals, totaling almost $600,000 in supported research. Additional funding support for these grants was provided by the National Board of Echocardiography, Inc., Bracco, Inc., and Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc.

The aim of the E21 Research Grant program is to promote research partnerships between clinician-scientists and engineering-scientists. These awards represent a mechanism to monetarily support daring research collaborations that aim to use engineering solutions to solve a relevant clinical problem in cardiovascular ultrasound. The E21 grants are not intended to entirely solve a clinical problem, but to lay the foundation that will lead to major advances in future patient care or clinical practice. The funding will allow investigators to make substantial progress over the next two years towards aims that can then be used for secondary high-level funding from extramural sources (NIH, DOD, etc.), or industry/investor funding.

E21 Research Grant recipients include:

• 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

This research support, catalyzed from the ASE/AIUM Tech Summit in February 2019, was created to foster additional innovation. AIUM President and Co-chair of the E21 Grant Review Committee J. Brian Fowlkes, PhD, FAIUM, said, “This grant program is an excellent example of how cooperative efforts among stakeholders in ultrasound can launch innovative research. We are excited to see where such clinician/scientist collaborations can foster translation of technologies to the benefit of our patients.”

When asked why these types of funding opportunities are important to the future of cardiovascular ultrasound, ASE Immediate Past President and Chair of the E21 Grant Review Committee Jonathan R. Lindner, MD, FACC, FASE, said, “Research partnerships between clinicians and engineers have been responsible for most of the major breakthroughs that have made echocardiography an indispensable part of cardiovascular medicine. Together with multiple stakeholders, ASE has led efforts to create and provide these E21 Research Awards to three pioneering clinician-engineer teams who will engage in a two year “high-risk, high-reward” research program to address the clinical gaps that face us today.”