PD Member of the Month

Ayman Ahmed, MBBS, DABS, RPVI, FACS, FSVS

Marshfield Clinic

What is your personal background in vascular surgery education (how long have you worked in the vascular field, why did you choose vascular surgery, etc.)?

I did have great exposure to vascular surgery during my general surgery training (Mayo clinic, U of MN, UCSF). After finishing my general surgery training, I did 2 years of vascular surgery fellowship at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH. I have been in practice as a vascular attending since 2019. I have chosen Vascular Surgery as it is very rewarding. it’s a complete package. it gives you fine set of skills as a surgeon, ability to manage complex patient populations as a physician, in addition to the ability to read and interpret your own imaging studies. Moreover, you develop a lifelong relation with your patients

What is the most rewarding part of your job? as a vascular surgery Program Director? What is the most challenging part of your job?

The most rewarding part of my job is my patient appreciation to what I do. And as a vascular surgery PD is to spread the knowledge of vascular surgery, teach the upcoming generation and graduating competent vascular surgeons that can continue to help the community. The most challenging part as a vascular surgeon is when I have to tell my patient I can't help them any further and there is nothing else I can offer them at this time.

What are your personal goals within the vascular field?

Being able to graduate competent vascular surgeons to the community as an educator and PD. Enrich the vascular knowledge as a researcher and inventor. More importantly, help my patients by providing them with the best of care in vascular surgery as a clinician

If you had a blank check to change medical education in America, what would you do first?

Make it more affordable. 

From your perspective, what qualities make a successful vascular surgery applicant?

Patient

Committed to the field

Ability to focus on details

and open to work in collaboration with other specialties and having lifelong relations with the patients

What is a "fun fact" about yourself that you would like others to know?

I almost fainted when I scrubbed my first open surgery as a medical student because of the smell of blood.