Who We Are

Michael Earing, MD serves on the IAC Echocardiography Board of Directors as a representative of the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA). Dr. Earing is both an adult and pediatric trained physician whom specializes in adult congenital heart disease. Currently, Dr. Earing is Medical Director of the Chicago Adult Congenital Heart Disease Alliance; Chief of Pediatric Cardiology, Professor Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Chicago; Section Chief and Co-director at Advocate Children’s Hospital Heart Institute; and Division Director of the Cardiovascular Service Line for the Chicago Children’s Alliance-University of Chicago at Advocate Healthcare\NorthShore University.

Ashlee Davis, ACS, RDCS, RCCS, BSMI, FASE serves on the IAC Echocardiography Board of Directors as a representative of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE). She presently holds the position of Chief Technologist at the Cardiac Diagnostic Unit at Duke University in Durham, NC. She has been an integral member of the Cardiac Sonography team since 2008. In addition to her responsibilities at Duke University, Ms. Davis has actively contributed to ASE, where she has served on numerous committees, participated in writing groups, and was distinguished as a member of the inaugural class of the ASE Leadership Academy. Furthermore, she is a participant in the CCI Advanced Cardiac Sonographer exam writing committee. Her academic background includes a bachelor's degree in medical imaging from the University of Oklahoma, and she takes pride in holding ACS, RDCS and RCCS registries. Within the echocardiography community, she has cultivated meaningful connections, affording her the opportunity to share her expertise across the United States and internationally. She has been a featured speaker at national conferences, collaborated with Dr. Joseph Kisslo in teaching the innovative concept of "Thinking in 3D," and has been invited to contribute to publications in esteemed journals and textbooks. Her commitment to global healthcare is evident through her involvement in international initiatives, such as traveling to Rwanda to assist patients with rheumatic heart disease. Additionally, she has actively participated in various echocardiography research projects, contributing to the advancement of the field. In reflecting on her multifaceted contributions, she expresses enthusiasm for the future of echocardiography and looks forward to continued engagement in shaping its trajectory.

Alina Nicoara, MD, FASE serves on the IAC Echocardiography Board of Directors as a representative of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE). Dr. Nicoara earned her medical degree from Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest, Romania. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at Duke University Medical Center and Director of Perioperative Echocardiography. Dr. Nicoara has been published in journals, books, and electronic publications. She is a part of numerous organizations like American Society of Echocardiography, American Heart Association and Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists. Dr. Nicoara has also lectured at meetings nationally and internationally.

Enrique Garcia-Sayan, MD, FACC, FASE serves on the IAC Echocardiography Board of Directors representing the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE). Dr. Garcia-Sayan is an Associate Professor at Baylor College of Medicine and serves as the Medical Director of Non-Invasive Cardiology at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in Houston, Texas. His areas of expertise include quality echocardiography lab operations, multi-modality imaging in structural and valvular heart disease, and advanced echocardiography. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography, currently co-chairs the ASE Advocacy Committee, leads the ASE Guideline App task force, is a member of the ASE Interventional Echocardiography Council Steering Committee, and has been elected to the ASE Board of Directors for the 2023-2025 term. Additionally, he is the current President of the Greater Houston Society of Echocardiography.

Margaret M. Park, BS, ACS, RVT, RDCS, FSDMS, FASE serves on the IAC Echocardiography Board of Directors as a representative of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE). Also known as “Koko” she is a lead imaging specialist for the Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute, at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Echocardiography from the Oregon Institute of Technology. Koko has published two books on sonography education, authored nine book chapters and had numerous publications in peer reviewed journals and scientific abstracts accepted for publication. She has presented over 150 lectures at local, national and international meetings. Her interest lies in pulmonary vascular disease, right heart function and mechanics through multimodality imaging. Locally she is a founding member of the Greater Cleveland Echo Society and the Northern Ohio Cardiac Imaging Association. Koko was presented with the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography Joan P. Baker Pioneer Award (2024) and is the 2017 recipient of the American Society of Echocardiography Lifetime Achievement Award. She enjoys volunteering at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo imaging gorillas and orangutans for the Great Ape Research Program.

Sangeeta B. Shah, MD, FACC, FASE serves on the IAC Echocardiography Board of Directors as a representative of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE). Dr. Shah received her medical degree from the Louisiana State University Medical Center and went on to complete her residency at the Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, LA. Dr. Shah is currently the medical director of the VCU Health Pauley Heart Center Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) program and is also the co-chair of the Pauley Heart Community Engagement Task Force. Furthermore, she holds the academic appointment of an associate professor in the department of medicine at VCU Health in Richmond, VA. Dr. Shah serves on several notable committees and boards including the ASE leadership Academy Cohort 1, ASE advocacy committee, ASE training and certification advisory committee and the Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI) noninvasive registry exam committee. She has given many interviews about ACHD and was featured as one of New Orleans Magazine's Best Doctors. In addition to ASE, Dr. Shah is also a member and fellow of the American College of Cardiology (ACC). She has authored numerous articles and given frequent lectures at both professional conferences and her own institutions. Her various research projects include: improving the value of cardiovascular imaging in endocarditis, exercise in adult congenital heart disease and is developing a community initiative to reduce the disparities in hypertension with a program to teach children.

G. Burkhard Mackensen, MD, PhD, FASE serves on the IAC Echocardiography Board of Directors as a representative of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA). Dr. Mackensen is the Allan J. Treuer Endowed Professor of Anesthesiology and Chair of the University of Washington Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine in Seattle, WA. He also serves as the Director of Interventional Echocardiography at the UW Medicine Heart Institute. Dr. Mackensen is a practicing cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and a key member of the UW structural heart valve team. As an internationally recognized expert in perioperative and interventional echocardiography, Dr. Mackensen is intimately involved in multidisciplinary efforts that aim to advance minimally invasive transcatheter cardiovascular care. He has given numerous national and international lectures on the role of 2D and 3D TEE in interventional/structural heart disease and surgical decision making, and has published over 140 peer-reviewed journal articles and is the author of more than 20 book chapters. As a Fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography (FASE), Dr. Mackensen is the immediate past Chair of the ASE’s Industry Relations Committee (IRT) and the immediate past Chair of the Council on Perioperative Echocardiography (COPE).

Merri L. Bremer, EdD, RN, ACS, RDCS, FASE  serves on the IAC Echocardiography Board of Directors as a representative of the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS). Dr. Bremer is the Education and Quality Coordinator at the Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Lab in Rochester, Minn., and also holds an academic appointment as Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. Dr. Bremer is board-certified as a Registered Nurse and holds the sonographer credentials of RDCS and ACS. In 2015, she earned a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. In addition to the SDMS, Dr. Bremer is an active member of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), where she is a Fellow and a member of several committees. She also participates in the ultrasound accreditation program through the Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRC-DMS) and is a member of the Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI)’s ACS Credentialing Exam Committee. During the past 20 years, Dr. Bremer has lectured extensively at national meetings, promoting the topic of sonographer ergonomics, quality improvement and accreditation; in addition, she has co-authored several publications.

Pamela Burgess, ACS, BS, RDMS, RDCS, RVT, FASE serves on the IAC Echocardiography Board of Directors as a representative of the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS) and on the IAC Board of Directors. As manager of the Cardiac Ultrasound & Stress Testing Lab at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem, NC, she brings more than 30 years of experience as a sonographer. Upon earning her CNMT credential in 1979, Ms. Burgess went on to become board certified by the ARDMS as a Registered Vascular Technologist (RVT), a Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (RDMS) in Abdominal Ultrasound and Obstetrics-Gynecology, a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS) in Adult Echocardiography, and Advanced Cardiac Sonographer (ACS) with CCI. She received her BS in Health Management from the California College for Health Sciences. In addition to SDMS, Ms. Burgess is also a fellow of ASE, where she has served on the Board of Directors, Sonography Program Chair in 1998, and several committees. As an educator, Ms. Burgess has been a speaker and director at numerous Echocardiography courses across the country since 1993. In addition to serving on IAC Echocardiography Board of Directors and IAC Board of Directors, Ms. Burgess also serves reviewer.

Craig E. Fleishman, MD, FASE, FACC serves on the IAC Echocardiography Board of Directors as a representative of the Society of Pediatric Echocardiography (SOPE). Dr. Fleishman is the Director of Non-invasive Cardiac Imaging at the Heart Center at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine in Orlando, Fla. He received his BA in chemistry and economics from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Dr. Fleishman earned his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine and was a pediatric resident and chief resident at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He completed his pediatric cardiology and advanced pediatric echocardiography training at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Fleishman has lectured extensively at national and international meetings and has co-authored multiple articles, chapters, and abstracts. Dr. Fleishman is a peer reviewer for Echocardiography, Congenital Heart Disease, Circulation, Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography, and American Heart Journal. He has also served as guest editor for Circulation and Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging. Dr. Fleishman is a fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography and the American College of Cardiology and serves on multiple committees within those organizations.

Bernadette Richards, BS, RDCS, FASE serves on the IAC Echocardiography Board of Directors as a representative of the Society of Pediatric Echocardiography (SOPE). Miss Richards serves as the Program Manager and Technical Director of the Pediatric Echo Lab at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, in Columbus, OH. With a deep commitment to sonographer safety, Bernadette is a strong advocate in the realm of ergonomics. Bernadette focuses on improving operational efficiency and driving quality improvements within echo labs. Passionate about the professional development of sonographers, she advocates for career growth and the well-being of cardiac sonographers. Bernadette has lectured locally, nationally, and internationally. She has authored book chapters, has publications in peer reviewed journals and scientific abstracts accepted for publication. Registered in adult, pediatric, and fetal echocardiography, Bernadette brings expertise and dedication to advancing care and standards within the echocardiography field.

Leo Lopez, MD, FASE, FACC, FAAP serves on the IAC Echocardiography Board of Directors as a representative of the Society of Pediatric Echocardiography (SOPE). Currently, Dr. Lopez is the Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine and will be the Scientific Sessions Program Chair for the American Society of Echocardiography Scientific Sessions in Denver in 2026. Born in the Philippines, he earned his BA from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and later received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. Dr. Lopez was a pediatric resident, fellow and chief fellow in cardiology and senior clinical fellow in echocardiography at Children’s Hospital in Boston. Dr. Lopez is a peer reviewer for several publications including the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography. He has taken part in several cardiac medical missions to places all over the world, including trips with Healing the Children to Guatemala and Russia and with Heart Care International to El Salvador and Peru. He has lectured extensively worldwide and has co-authored several publications, review articles, book chapters and abstracts. Dr. Lopez is a member of several other organizations and councils including the Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease Council of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Heart Association (AHA) and the International Society for the Nomenclature of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Diseases.

Jeanne M. DeCara, MD serves on the IAC Echocardiography Board of Directors as a Cardiology Member-at-Large. Dr. DeCara received her residency and cardiology training at Boston University Medical Center, before moving to the Midwest where she is presently Professor of Medicine in the section of cardiology at University of Chicago Medicine and Assistant Dean of Faculty Affairs, Academic Affairs, for University of Chicago’s Biological Sciences Division. In her clinical role, she serves as a consultative cardiologist and a full-time member cardiac imaging faculty, with imaging expertise in echocardiography. In addition to her general cardiology practice, she is Director of the Cardio-Oncology program at University of Chicago Medicine, where the focus is on the diagnosis and treatment of heart disorders among patients who have received or are about to receive chemotherapy and/or chest radiation. Dr. DeCara’s research focus is directed toward the application of noninvasive imaging techniques for the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with clinical and subclinical cardiovascular disease. She has been a member of the editorial board of the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography. She has additionally played an active role in professional organizations such as the ASE, where she has been a member of the Guidelines and Standards Committee and Research Committee, and served as Chair of the Research Award Committee. She has served as a member of the writing group for the ASE consensus document for use of echocardiography in clinical trials and well as the ASE and European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging expert consensus document for use of multimodality imaging evaluation of the adult patient during and after cancer therapy. In addition to these organizations, Dr. DeCara was a member of the technical panel for the Appropriate Use Criteria for echocardiography document endorsed by multiple professional societies, and content reviewer the AHA/ACC guideline for management of patients with valvular heart disease.

Mahesh Chandrasekhar, MD, FASE, FACC serves on the IAC Echocardiography Board of Directors as a Cardiology Member-at-Large. Dr. Chandrasekhar is a multi-modality and Level III-S cardiovascular imager who currently serves as the Director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Clinic at Cone Health in Greensboro, NC. His research passion focuses on early diagnosis and management of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and cardiac amyloidosis, and in serving the big-hearted community. Throughout his career, Dr. Chandrasekhar has collaborated with the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) to enhance the detection of HCM by supporting understanding and uptake of the latest guidelines. Additional publications have focused on the field of structural cardiac imaging and outcomes.

David A. Orsinelli, MD, FACC, FASE serves as an Advisor the IAC Echocardiography Board of Directors. Dr. Orsinelli has been a staff echocardiographer at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center since 1991. He is currently a Professor of Clinical Internal Medicine at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He is a very active clinical echocardiographer and is a member of the OSU Structural Heart Disease Team. Dr. Orsinelli received his medical degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He completed his residency at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, R.I. in 1986 and held the position of Chief Medical resident at the hospital from 1986-87. He completed his cardiology fellowship at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worchester, Mass. in 1991 where he also served as Chief Fellow from 1990-91. Dr. Orsinelli is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) as well as an active member of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) and the American Heart Association (AHA). He served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Chapter of the ACC from 2007-2011. Dr. Orsinelli has been a manuscript reviewer for the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography, American Heart Journal, Circulation, Journal of the American College of Cardiology and Heart and Lung (The Journal of Acute and Critical Care). Dr. Orsinelli has also served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography. He has been an abstract reviewer for the AHA on many occasions since 1999. He has delivered many lectures at local, regional and national meetings around the country and has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed manuscripts, review articles and book chapters in the field of echocardiography.

Mary Lally, MS, CAE is the Chief Executive Officer at the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC). Ms. Lally began her tenure with the IAC in 2007, serving as Director of Accreditation. In this role she has been instrumental in the development and oversight of the IAC’s MRI and CT diagnostic divisions as well as the Carotid Stenting, Cardiac Electrophysiology and Cardiovascular Catheterization therapeutic divisions. Ms. Lally has a unique combined background of clinical expertise and association management experience, possessing both a Master’s degree in Radiation Health Physics as well as the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential. Before joining the IAC, Ms. Lally gained more than 20 years of clinical, operational and leadership experience, serving as the founding MRI program director at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. In addition, she developed and implemented radiology quality assurance programs with emphasis in the vascular surgery, interventional and cardiology departments at the University of Maryland Hospital. An ARRT-certified MRI Technologist, Ms. Lally is a passionate advocate for quality and safety in imaging.

Katherine Gibson, RDCS is the Director of Accreditation for Echocardiography at the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission. Joining the IAC in 2019, she brings many years of clinical experience and her passion for congenital heart disease. She is a graduate of The Johns Hopkins School of Echocardiography, Cardiac Sonography Program. Ms. Gibson has worked as a cardiac ultrasound Applications Specialist and has served as a clinical instructor for adult and pediatric echocardiography. Ms. Gibson developed the didactic curriculum for pediatric and congenital heart disease for The Johns Hopkins School of Echocardiography, Cardiac Sonography Program while also serving as an instructor. She is credentialed in Adult, Pediatric, and Fetal Echocardiography by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS). Ms. Gibson served on the Board of Directors for The Greater Baltimore Echo Society from 2011-2017. She is an active member of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), the Society of Pediatric Echocardiography (SOPE) and the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS).