Meet the candidates for the 2024-25 election for SVS Vice President. Each candidate has shown long-standing dedication to the vascular surgery community and has provided a great deal of time to work with the SVS. Once elected, the Vice President will serve one year in that role, followed by a year as the SVS President-Elect, and then will become the SVS President. This role is vitally important to the inner workings of the SVS as well as to the vascular surgery community at large. 

If you missed the 'Meet the Candidates' Town Hall on May 1, you can view it here.

Bios

Service and Leadership

Q&A - Question 1 

Please provide a brief summary of your Strategic Vision of the Future for Vascular Surgery and the key role SVS must play to realize that Vision. This may include addressing concepts such as:

• Current SVS strategic plan and priorities
• Changing demographics of the SVS membership and vascular surgery workforce, embracing
• the values of DEI
• Collaboration with other specialties in the vascular space
• Relationship between vascular surgeons, SVS, and industry
• Current reimbursement threats to vascular surgery
• SVS’s role in defining quality and appropriateness

Q&A - Question 2

Given the growing diversity of the SVS membership, how will you ensure all constituents of the SVS are represented and have a voice in the Society?

The Leadership Development Program (LDP) is a six-month-long interactive learning experience for U.S./Canadian vascular surgeons who are five-10 years out of training. A series of webinars, mentoring and a 1.5-day in-person workshop will serve as the curriculum to guide participants as they identify and tackle real-life challenges faced by leaders in vascular surgery.   

The aim is for the participants to reach their full potential as leaders and make a positive impact in the specialty, in their workplace and community, and in other areas of importance in their life. 

Program content is drawn from the highest quality research on leadership with an intense focus on applying this knowledge to real-life challenges. 

The 2022-2023 application process is now closed. See a list of participants here. 

Program Information

Date of Release: September 28, 2022

Last Day to Claim CE credits or earn a Certificate: May 1, 2023

This CE Activity is supported through an educational grant provided by Boston Scientific and Gore

Core Faculty

Manuel Garcia-Toca, MD, MS
Faisal Aziz, MD
Dawn M Coleman, MD
Randall R DeMartino, MD
Kristina Giles, MD
Kenneth M Slaw, PhD

Additional Faculty

Bhagwan Satiani, MD, MBA
John Burrows, PhD

Dates

Accreditation Statement

The Society for Vascular Surgery is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Society for Vascular Surgery designates this other/blended for a maximum of 18.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Disclosure Statement

The ACCME requires that the SVS, as an accredited provider of CME, disclose the relevant financial relationships of the planners, faculty, and any other individuals in a position to control content of this activity. However, Accredited providers do not need to identify, mitigate, or disclose relevant financial relationships for accredited education that is non-clinical, such as leadership or communication skills training. Therefore, there are no disclosures for this accredited activity.

Important Information about your CME credits for LDP Cohort 4

The American Board of Surgery (ABS) recently made changes to its CME processes, which impact the way that Diplomates interact with the Board, upload CME credits, and meet Certification requirements. SVS is committed to complying with the new rules and making your ability to claim credit as seamless as possible, however, we are still in the process of aligning our systems to meet these new requirements.   

To ensure all your CME credits earned with SVS are transferred to the ABS, please visit this website to review the process.

Review the Process

More Information:

SVS will communicate any changes to this information as it becomes available. We look forward to seeing everyone in-person!

Questions

Please contact education@vascularsociety.org.

Voting closed on 11:59 p.m. EST on Nov. 19. 

In accordance with SVS Bylaws the SVS Executive Board may propose changes to Bylaws, and upon 50% approval of the Strategic Board of Directors (SBOD), may proceed to a referendum of the Voting Membership to ratify any such changes following 30-days official notice.

An eblast was sent the afternoon of Oct. 4, 2023, to serve as official notice to the Membership that the Executive Board has proposed, and the SBOD has approved, moving two fundamental changes to the voting membership in a referendum. The first is in SVS bylaws-Article III, relating to Membership; and the second is in Articles V and VII, relating to the composition of the Executive Board, which includes both elected and appointed members. 

1. Article III Changes:  Establishing “Early Active” Membership
   These bylaw changes were initiated by early-career members with support from the Young Surgeon Section and Membership Committee to establish a process of “auto-transition” from Candidate to Active membership with a minimum of barriers or extra steps in the process. Because post-training Candidates are in various stages of transition the proposed change establishes a new sub-category of membership called “Early Active” with increased dues and enhanced engagement while preparing for and passing their Vascular Surgery Board Exam. Once their boards are passed, Early Active members are “auto-transitioned” to full Active membership within two years. The proposed change outlines enhanced privileges for Early Active members including service on SVS committees and the right to vote in SVS elections.  
    
2. Article V and VII Changes: Composition of the Executive Board 
   These bylaw changes were initiated by the Executive Board with support from the SVS Nominating Committee, to align Executive Board composition with current best practices for medical societies that increase diversity of perspective for decision-making and governance, as well as provide for greater flexibility and agility of the Executive Board to address evolving needs over time.  
   The Executive Board is currently comprised of six elected officers (three elected, and three acceding from previous elections) and three appointed members that are “locked” or designated roles via bylaws, for a total of nine members. The proposed changes expand the SVS Executive Board from the current nine to 11 positions, by expanding the number of non-officer appointed positions from three to five, instead of locking or designating them to a specific position, the "At-Large" positions will be staggered three-year terms. These positions will be appointed by the Executive Board from a list of nominees vetted by the Nominating Committee and prioritized by the SBOD based on identified priority gaps in expertise or perspective. 

To make the proposed changes easier to understand, the SVS has created an infographic highlighting the key points. View the infographic below. 

Image

Please review the redline version of the proposed changes. Beginning Nov. 6, 2023, there will be communications inviting all Active and Senior members to cast their vote.

If you have questions, please email governance@vascularsociety.org.

FAQS

1. When will voting be open for this referendum?
   • Voting on the bylaws referendum will open on Monday, Nov. 6 and will close at 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, Nov. 19. All voting-eligible members will receive notifications when the election opens.
2. Who is voting-eligible in this election?
   • All Active and Senior SVS members in good standing are eligible to vote in this election.
   • “Good standing” means you are up to date on paying your membership dues. If you are unsure about your current status, login here.
3. How will I cast my vote?
   • Voting members will vote online. To vote you will need your SVS username and password. If you have forgotten either one, please visit the “My Account” page and press the “Forgot username or password?” link. 

Postgraduate Education Committee

The Postgraduate Education Committee is to identify, develop, direct and assess postgraduate education relevant to the SVS membership in advancing the practice, curricula and scope of practice in vascular surgery.

ACCME Standards

The Education Council and Committees oversee the development and implementation of CME activities and as such volunteers must adhere to The Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education.  Per these requirements, owners, executives and employees of ineligible companies (formerly known as commercial interest) are considered to have unresolvable financial relationships and must be excluded from participating as planners or faculty.  These individuals cannot influence or control any aspect of the planning, delivery, or evaluation of accredited continuing education, except in the limited circumstances outlined in Standard 3.2.  All volunteers involved as planners or faculty will be required to disclose all financial relationships within the prior 24 months.  

Committee Members

If you have any questions regarding this committee, please contact:  Michelle Majewski at mmajewski@vascularsociety.org

About

In 2017, the SVS created a new membership section for vascular physician assistants. The section provides a "professional home" to PAs working in vascular care settings and has grown to 138 members after one short year of existence.

Benefits

• PA-specific education at the Vascular Annual Meeting
• Networking and peer mentoring opportunities
• Leadership development through SVS committee engagement
• Discounts on SVS events and our JVS subscription
• Subscription to our Vascular Specialist monthly print publication and SVS Pulse electronic newsletter
• A private PA Section community on SVSConnect, a member-exclusive online space for collaboration, engagement and communication amongst other vascular professionals.

Eligibility

SVS Affiliate membership is available to physician assistants who have demonstrated an active interest in the field of vascular disease.

How to Apply

Membership applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. 

Download the application for Affiliate membership and submit the completed documentation. You will need to include: a completed application form, including the names and contact information of two physicians who sponsor your application, one of which must be a member of the SVS in good standing, and a curriculum vitae. 

Submit completed application materials to membership@vascularsociety.org

Steering Committee

Holly Grunebach, PA-C Steering Committee Chair	Jessica Fernandes, PA-C
Stephen Robischon, PA-C	Danielle Scribani, PA
Robert C. Skasko, Jr., PA-C	Janine Tedesco, PA-C

Questions

Please contact the membership department at membership@vascularsociety.org or (312) 334-2313.         

Overview

The Leadership Development Program (LDP) is a seven-month-long interactive learning experience best suited for U.S./Canadian vascular surgeons who are 5-10 years out of training.

The curriculum is drawn from the highest quality evidenced-based model on leadership stemming from Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner’s, The Leadership Challenge, with an intense focus on applying this knowledge to real-life challenges. 

The program consists of webinars, on-demand didactic presentations, live online faculty-led discussions, mentoring, and a 1.5-day in-person workshop that will serve to guide participants as they identify and tackle real-life challenges faced by leaders in vascular surgery.

The aim is for the participants to reach their full potential as leaders and make a positive impact in the specialty, in their workplace and community, and in other areas of importance in their life. Build life-long relationships, have some fun, and invest in your future and the future of the profession all while earning CME credit!

Learning Objectives

By participating in this CME activity, the learner will be able to:

1. Recognize the functional day-to-day behaviors that drive success in leadership.
2. Understand the larger context of where physicians lead and can lead most effectively in complex health delivery systems.
3. Apply selected leadership behavior in interactive learning scenarios to strengthen individualized learning, i.e., conflict resolution, team, and trust building.
4. Apply a renewed passion for working in the profession of medicine, and specialty of vascular surgery.

Registration

Registration for the fifth Leadership Development Program cohort is now closed as we have reached capacity. If you want to be added to the waitlist and contacted if a current registrant drops out of Cohort 5, or you would like to receive information about next year's LDP (Cohort 6), please click here. 

Leadership Mastery Grant

The SVS and the Leadership Development Committee are pleased to offer up to four $3000 Leadership Mastery Grants to past Leadership Development Program (LDP) graduates. Past graduates of any LDP cohort are eligible to apply for one of these grants by filling out an application that outlines their plan to continue leadership education and apply it to serve the Society and the Specialty.

Submissions are closed for 2024. Congratulations to this year’s recipients:

Xzabia Caliste, MD - Albany Medical Healthcare System
Maria Castello Ramirez, MD - Penn State Hershey Medical Center
Fernando Joglar, MD - University of Puerto Rico
Payam Salehi, MD, PhD - Tufts Medicine

Program Details

Core Faculty

Manuel Garcia-Toca, MD, MS
Faisal Aziz, MD
Dawn M Coleman, MD
Randall R DeMartino, MD
Kristina Giles, MD
Kenneth M Slaw, PhD

Date of Release: April 11, 2024
Program End Date: November 2, 2024
Last Day to Claim CE credits or earn a Certificate: Dec. 2, 2024

This CE Activity is supported through an educational grant provided by Gore.

Accreditation Statement

The Society for Vascular Surgery is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Society for Vascular Surgery designates this other/blended learning for a maximum of 18.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Disclosure Statement

The ACCME requires that the SVS, as an accredited provider of CME, disclose the relevant financial relationships of the planners, faculty, and any other individuals in a position to control content of this activity. However, Accredited providers do not need to identify, mitigate, or disclose relevant financial relationships for accredited education that is non-clinical, such as leadership or communication skills training. Therefore, there are no disclosures for this accredited activity.

Schedule

Questions

Please contact education@vascularsociety.org

Important Information about your CME credits for LDP Cohort 4

The American Board of Surgery (ABS) recently made changes to its CME processes, which impact the way that Diplomates interact with the Board, upload CME credits, and meet Certification requirements. SVS is committed to complying with the new rules and making your ability to claim credit as seamless as possible, however, we are still in the process of aligning our systems to meet these new requirements.   

To ensure all your CME credits earned with SVS are transferred to the ABS, please visit this website to review the process.

Review the Process

More Information:

SVS will communicate any changes to this information as it becomes available.

2023 - 2024 Officers and the Strategic Board of Directors

Joseph Mills, MD, DFSVS President	Matthew Eagleton, MD, DFSVS President-Elect
Keith Calligaro, MD, DFSVS Vice President	William Shutze, MD, DFSVS Secretary
Thomas Forbes, MD, DFSVS Treasurer	Michael Dalsing, MD, DFSVS Immediate Past President
Andres Schanzer, MD, DFSVS Program Committee Chair	Robert Molnar, MD Community Practice Chair
Daniel McDevitt, MD, DFSVS Clinical Practice Council Chair	Linda Harris, MD, DFSVS Education Council Chair
Adam Beck, MD Patient Safety Organization/VQI Governing Council	Margaret Tracci, MD, DFSVS Advocacy Council Chair
Dennis Gable, MD, DFSVS Quality Council Chair	Raul Guzman Research Council Chair
Audra Duncan, MD Women's Section Chair	Lori Pounds, MD, DFSVS American Venous Forum
Mal Sheahan, MD, DFSVS Association of Program Directors in Vascular Surgery	April Boyd, MD, PhD, FRCSC Canadian Society for Vascular Surgery
Palma Shaw, MD, DFSVS Eastern Vascular Society	Patrick Geraghty, MD, DFSVS Midwestern Society for Vascular Surgery
Patricia Furey, MD New England Society for Vascular Surgery	Caron Rockman, MD Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery
Mark Farber, MD, FSVS Southern Association for Vascular Surgery	Bernadette Aulivola, MD Vascular and Endovascular Society
Rabih Chaer, MD, DFSVS Vascular Surgery Board	Ahmed Abou-Zamzam, MD, DFSVS Western Vascular Society
Kenneth M. Slaw, PhD Executive Director