About EASy POCUS
Advancing point-of-care ultrasound education for better patient outcomes.
Our Mission
EASy POCUS was created to democratize hemodynamic assessment at the bedside. By simplifying the approach to point-of-care ultrasound using subxiphoid (subcostal) cardiac views, IVC, and lung ultrasound, we enable clinicians at all levels — from novice to expert — to perform rapid, accurate hemodynamic phenotyping of critically ill patients.
The EASy approach has been developed and evaluated through peer-reviewed clinical and educational research, and is taught internationally through workshops, online courses, digital training drills, and investigational AI research tools.
Clinical Philosophy
EASy was never intended to replace comprehensive echocardiography. It was designed to answer the first bedside question quickly, reproducibly, and within a defined scope. A focused examination should simplify early decision-making — not replace clinical judgment — and it should explicitly identify when more imaging is needed.
The Founder
Nibras F. Bughrara, MD, FCCM, FASA
Creator of the EASy POCUS protocol · Principal Investigator
Albany Medical College Albany, New YorkDr. Bughrara is a Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at Albany Medical College, where he serves as Vice Chair of Education and Division Chief of Critical Care. He created the EASy POCUS protocol to make rapid, accurate hemodynamic assessment accessible to clinicians at every level of training.
Click to view full bio, education, board certifications & awards
Nibras F. Bughrara, MD, FCCM, FASA
Creator of the EASy POCUS protocol · Principal Investigator
Dr. Bughrara is a Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at Albany Medical College, where he serves as Vice Chair of Education and Division Chief of Critical Care. He created the EASy POCUS protocol to make rapid, accurate hemodynamic assessment accessible to clinicians at every level of training.
Click to view full bio, education, board certifications & awards
He leads the EASy POCUS protocol suite's research, education, and technology development, and has trained clinicians across North America, South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia in subxiphoid POCUS techniques. He founded national and international POCUS mentorship programs, including a statewide NYSSA collaborative and training initiatives in Libya and Thailand.
Current Roles · Albany Medical College
- • Professor, Department of Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine
- • Vice Chair of Education
- • Division Chief of Critical Care
- • Director, Perioperative Point-of-Care Ultrasound
- • Associate Professor of Surgery (Joint Appointment)
Education & Training
Fellowship, Critical Care Medicine
The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Included Critical Care Transthoracic & Perioperative Transesophageal Echocardiography training
Residency, Anesthesiology
Albany Medical College, Albany, NY
Residency, Internal Medicine
St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center, NJ · Albany Medical College, NY
MBChB (Bachelor of Medicine & Surgery)
Al-Arab Medical University, Benghazi, Libya
Board Certifications
- American Board of Anesthesiology
- American Board of Anesthesiology — Critical Care Medicine
- American Board of Internal Medicine
- National Board of Echocardiography — Certification in Basic Perioperative Transesophageal Echocardiography (Basic PTEeXAM)
- National Board of Echocardiography — Testamur, Critical Care Echocardiography (CCEeXAM)
Selected Honors & Awards
The Team
Aliaksei Pustavoitau, MD, MHS, FCCM
Associate Professor, Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine
Director of Perioperative Ultrasound at Johns Hopkins and a long-standing leader in bringing critical care ultrasound into institutional and national practice. Co-author on the core EASy publications from the protocol's earliest validation studies onward.
Oliver Panzer, MD
Anesthesiologist & Critical Care Physician
Led the POCUS initiative at Columbia University Medical Center from 2007 before joining HSS in 2022. Teaches point-of-care ultrasound nationally at ASA, ASRA, and SCCM meetings, and co-authored work on POCUS in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Ranjit Deshpande, MD, MBA, FCCM
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology; Director, Point-of-Care Ultrasound
Built Yale's perioperative POCUS program and directs transplant anesthesiology. Recipient of SCCM Presidential Citations (2020, 2021) for ultrasound education leadership and a Fellow of the American College of Critical Care Medicine.
Omar Durra, MD, FASA, FASE
Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology; Residency Program Director
Founded and directed the perioperative point-of-care ultrasound service at Cedars-Sinai and now directs the anesthesiology residency at Keck/USC. Cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and national POCUS faculty at ASA, ASRA, and IARS/SOCCA meetings, and a Fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography.
The EASy Competency Pathway
One day to acquire. Supervised practice to phenotype and act.
Get in Touch
Interested in collaborating, hosting a workshop, or learning more? Send a message or email research@easypocus.net.