A portable medical device, such as an ultrasound imaging system, is configured to connect to a stand, and transfer heat from the device to the stand. The device includes a heat-generating source, a hot plate that is thermally coupled to the heat-generating source, and a barrier plate that is biased away from the hot plate and moveable between a first position, wherein the device is not docked to the stand, and a second position, wherein the device is docked to the stand. In the first position, the barrier plate is not in thermally conductive contact with the hot plate, and in the second position, the barrier plate is in thermally conductive contact with the hot plate. When moved from the first position to the second position, a cold plate on the stand pushes the barrier plate into the second position such that heat generated by the imaging system is transferred through the barrier plate to the hot plate and into a cold plate of the stand. As such, in the second position, the device is configured to transfer heat from the imaging system to the stand via a conductive pathway including at least the hot plate, the barrier plate, and the cold plate.
