William P. Shutze, MD

Service to SVS

• 2017-2018: Chair, SVS Community Practice Committee
• 2017-2018, 2019-2020, 2022-2025: Executive Board, SVS
• 2017-2019: APM Task Force, SVS
• 2017-2022: Foundation Board, SVS
• 2018-2020: Valuation Task Force, SVS
• 2018-2022: Chair, SVS Clinical Practice Council
• 2019-Present.: Mentor, SVS
• 2021-Present: Co-Chair, SVS Vascular Center Verification & Quality Improvement Program
• 2022-2025: Chair, SVS Communication & Branding Committee
• 2022-2025: Secretary, SVS
• 2023-2024: Advocacy Council, SVS
• 2024-2025: Education & Quality Councils, SVS

Service to Other Societies

• 2015-2022: National RAC, Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI)
• 2015-Pres.: Abstract Reviewer for multiple journals
• 2016-2017: Website Committee, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society
• 2016-2022: Chair, Regional RAC, VQI
• 2016-2025: Executive Board, Texas Vascular & Endovascular Society
• 2018-2020: President, Texas Vascular & Endovascular Society
• 2019: Audit Committee, Southern Association for Vascular Surgery
• 2024: Chair, Council Member, Texas Surgical Society
• 2025: Chair, Program Committee, Southern Association for Vascular Surgery

SVS Awards & Recognitions

• 2020: Excellence in Community Practice Award
• 2021: Distinguished Fellow Designation
• 2022: Presidential Citation

Please briefly describe your strategic vision for the future for vascular surgery and the key role SVS must play to realize that vision.

“The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) seeks to advance excellence and innovation in vascular health through education, advocacy, research and public awareness.” We must evaluate every decision, plan every strategy, face every opportunity or challenge in harmony with this mission. I believe that the SVS and vascular surgeons should be the leaders in everything vascular. Even though we are constrained by finite finances and human capital, we should persevere in leading across the four pillars of our mission statement. In fact, each pillar is an opportunity for us to establish ourselves as the vascular leaders to our colleagues, patients, payers, regulators, politicians and the public.

Our educational platform has been directed internally to our members and provides trustworthy and up to date relevant information. It is time to direct our educational efforts externally. This means developing content and programming for the benefit of referring physicians, non-Vascular Surgeon physicians and for medical students. One of my visions is to see an SVS created and branded “Basics of Vascular Curriculum” to distribute to medical students.

As a small society, our advocacy footprint can only go so far alone. This is another opportunity to lead. My vision is to see the SVS lead a collective of other stakeholder groups in advocating for our patients and physicians to address multiple inadequacies in vascular care. This includes patient screening, education, prior authorization, coverage denials, and reimbursement inadequacies. As a Society, we are very good at identifying a problem, studying it and offering solutions. Let us recruit other groups to join us and expand our reach on these important issues. Recent cuts have had a huge negative impact on current and future research. Vascular conditions (vascular patients) will be disproportionately impacted. We cannot let this happen and SVS can lead the collective way in advocating for continued funding for vascular research. Continued investment in our "Highway to Health" Branding Campaign will be essential.

Please highlight key activities or initiatives that exemplify your commitment to the success of SVS.

As SVS Secretary, I monitored SVS Connect daily to ensure compliance with membership terms. I directed posts for removal and worked with SVS staff to establish a process for managing such cases, including forming an adjudication group. I still post regularly to engage with members, such as my recent branding campaign and VVP updates.

I have participated in an Audible Bleeding episodes on the Vascular Verification Program and the new Vascular MVP. I was faculty for an SVS Tweetchat (2023) and several webinars, including:

• The SVS Branding Toolkit: How I Use it in My Practice
• Putting the New SVS Branding Toolkit to Use
• COVID 2.0: A Pathway Forward (Moderator & Organizer)

I served on the VQI Sovonet Research Advisory Committee (2015-2022) and as Chair (2016-2022), representing our Regional RAC at the National RAC (2015-2022).

My SVS involvement

• Committees & Councils: Community Practice (Chair 2017-2018), Clinical Practice Council (Chair 2018-2022), Mentor Match Development (2018), Work Force Task Force (2018-2020), Valuation Task Force (2018-2020), Advocacy Council (2023-2024), Education & Quality Councils (2024-2025).
• Task Forces & Workgroups: APM Task Force (2017-2019), American College of Physicians Consultation Work Group (2019-2020).
• Leadership & Events: “Vascular Spectacular Gala” Host Committee (2019, 2022), SOOVC (now SAVC) Steering Committee Chair (2018-2019), Communication & Branding Committee Chair (2022-2025).
• Quality & Verification: Vascular Standards Committee (2018-2020), Vascular Center Verification & Quality Improvement Program (Co-Chair 2021-present).
• I have presented at two VAM PG courses (2017, 2021). Actively engaged in SVS Voter Voice and a member of SVS Reach 535, I joined colleagues for the 2023 and 2025 Capitol Hill Advocacy visits.

Recent SVS Leadership

• Executive Board (2017-2018, 2019-2020, 2022-2025)
• Strategic Board of Directors (2017-2025)
• Foundation Board of Directors (2017-2022)
• SVS Secretary (2022-2025)

I remain committed to advancing SVS initiatives, fostering engagement, and strengthening vascular surgery’s presence.

Please highlight key leadership positions you hold or have held, and/or significant leadership achievements you have accomplished in vascular surgery or organized medicine and summarize how these have prepared you for the position of SVS Vice President.

I served as Community Practice Committee Chair from 2017-2018 and then as Clinical Practice Council Chair from 2018 -2021. Both of these positions led to my service on the Strategic Board of Directors between 2017-2021 and on the SVS Executive Board for three of those years. One year, I was elected by my peers on the SBOD to be their representative to the EB. Since being elected SVS Secretary in 2022, I have served an additional 3 years on the SBOD and EB. This has given me the privilege of serving on the SBOD for eight years and on the EB for seven years.

During this time, I have been able to observe and learn from the different, but equally effective leadership styles of Drs. Fairman, Darling, Makaroun, Hogsdon, Dalman, AbuRhama, Dalsing, Mills and Eagleton and Slaw. My service in these positions has given me a front row seat to the organizational structure of the various components within the SVS and a clear picture of how the separate components (Councils, Committees, Task Forces, SVS Foundation, VAM and Programs) function and interact. Being involved with the development of the SVS Strategic Plan for eight cycles has given me an excellent understanding of the process through which this occurs, what makes it successful and how its goals are achieved.

I am currently leading two important missions for the SVS: the ACS/SVS Vascular Verification Program and the “Highway to Health” Branding campaign. My involvement in these two programs will elevate my effectiveness as Vice President and these two programs.

My roles as Secretary, committee and council chair have allowed me to build strong working relationships with the current EB members, the SBOD members and the SVS staff who are crucial to the success of the Society. I believe these experiences will be beneficial in performing the role of the SVS Vice-President, allowing me to hit the ground running and contribute immediately to the success of the SVS.

Please highlight activities or initiatives that best exemplify your commitment to clinical and academic excellence in vascular surgery.

Reputation for clinical/academic excellence

Over the 35 years that I have been in practice, I have built a large and broad referral base as knowledge of my clinical skills has spread. I am referred complex cases from a 5 state area that includes Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas and New Mexico. In fact, my best referring physicians are fellow vascular surgeons. I am usually listed annually in the Best Doctor “beauty contests” in D Magazine and Texas Monthly. The SVS has recognized me as a Distinguished Fellow and awarded me the Excellence in Community Practice award. I have been asked to be an invited lecturer or visiting professor five times.

My commitment to clinical excellence is also demonstrated by my involvement in the Vascular Verification Program, which eventually became the ACS/SVS Vascular Verification Program. I participated in the initial task force years ago that began developing the goals and framework for this program. Later, I worked on the committee to develop the first draft of standards. Then I participated as a site reviewer for the beta testing of the program, which culminated in the final revisions to the program standards. I have been Chair of the outpatient program for the last three years as the program moved towards its launch and this year, I was named Chair of the VVP for the SVS. I have worked tirelessly to increase participation in the VVP.  We recently certified our 10th center, and we have 17 more programs in the pipeline with a record 5 new applications in January.

Publication of clinical or basic science results

My CV lists around 100 publications of which almost all are Vascular Surgery related.

Presentation of clinical or basic science results

My CV lists around 100 presentations addressing clinical issues or situations in Vascular Surgery. Almost all of these have been at regional or national meetings.

Participation in clinical investigational trials

I have participated in 40 clinical trials as a Principal Investigator or Sub- Investigator.