Preparing for VAM—with alternative options on deck

Jan 03, 2021 Re-posted from the January 2021 issue of Vascular Specialist

By Beth Bales

The Postgraduate Education Committee is hard at work to try to provide the most compelling, timely educational material for SVS members this year, chair Vikram Kashyap, MD, tells Vascular Specialist. Given the fluid situation regarding the pandemic, the committee is planning for multiple options for the 2021 iteration of the Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM): an in-person VAM, a hybrid meeting or virtual only.

“We instituted a change for VAM 2021, slating postgraduate education courses on three separate days, instead of clustering them all on Wednesday,” explains Kashyap.

“This will allow SVS members to attend more sessions with less parallel, competing programming. Some of our sessions will be carry-overs from those that could not be presented in 2020, including postgrad courses on pediatric and emergency vascular care. We also have a lineup of concurrent and ‘Ask the Expert’ sessions for all interests and career stages. Topics include, but are not limited to, the value of a vascular surgeon, occupational hazards, the digital transformation of healthcare, how to prevent complications and leadership. We are hopeful of being able to see you in person in San Diego.”

Tags
Vascular Specialist

Related Articles

Education and Representation at the Core of Inclusivity Efforts for DEI Committe

This article was published in the October issue of Vascular Specialist.

The Society for Vascular Surgery’s (SVS) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee continues to make strides in advancing inclusivity within the organization, with several projects underway to address both ongoing challenges and new opportunities.

Why donate to the SVS PAC?

A few years ago, in his presidential address to the Midwestern Vascular Surgical Society, Mark Mattos, MD, spoke eloquently about the need to “protect our specialty.” A large part of this, he argued, is protecting our patients; no other specialty in medicine can provide the type of comprehensive vascular care that we offer. The daily reality we all face is the potential for declining Medicare reimbursement for our services.

Progress made during year like no other

While the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects dominated 2020–21 fiscal year—including the cancellation of the live 2020 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM)—it did not deter progress on many important initiatives. “When covid hit, it intensified our focus on what was truly important: our members, their patients and the SVS as their Society,” said Executive Director Kenneth M. Slaw, PhD. “That focus was sustained the past 15 months and it has led to innovation and an unprecedented volume of member value programs.” He outlined important highlights from the fiscal year that ended March 31—just more than a year after the pandemic was declared—and the vital initiatives that continue to move forward.