SVS Announces Award for Community Service Honoree Will be Community-Based Practitioner

Oct 22, 2018 Re-posted from the October 2018 issue of Vascular Specialist

The Society for Vascular Surgery emphasizes not only education and research, but also public awareness.

Now, through the just announced Excellence in Community Service Award, the Society plans to honor a member who has made not only contributions to the profession but to the community as well.

Applications for this new honor are due Feb. 1, 2019. The recipient will be announced and recognized at the 2019 Vascular Annual Meeting in June.

“We want to honor a vascular surgeon working in the community who also is a community leader, a philanthropist, someone who contributes outside of the operating room,” said Daniel McDevitt, MD, chair of the SVS Community Practice Committee. The committee developed and will oversee the award.

Nominees must have practiced vascular surgery for at least 20 years and been an SVS member for at least five.

They also must present evidence of impact on vascular care or community health, such as:

• Leadership in a community-based practice

• Implementation of services or innovations to advance community health

• Partnerships or collaborations with community organizations

• Contributions that elevate the stature of the vascular surgery specialty in the community

Dr. McDevitt stressed that the award isn’t particularly geared to members who have already received multiple professional awards. “He or she has a civic presence and exhibited a lifetime of commitment to our profession and the community,” he said. “There’s no real vehicle for recognizing such a person right now except for the accolades of family and friends.”

Members may nominate a candidate — including him or herself — by submitting the nomination form and supporting documents. All materials are due by Feb. 1. Required are:

• The Nomination Form

• The nominees’ curriculum vitae (either abbreviates or full)

• Description of the nominee’s significant work and impact in a community-practice setting (one page)

• Three letters of recommendation, at least one of which must be from an SVS member.

The SVS Community Practice Committee will review the nominations and select the recipient. Though nominees will be sought every year, the award may not be presented each year.

Nomination materials, all in PDF format, should be mailed to vascular@vascularsociety.org. Learn more at vsweb.org/CommunityService, email the address above or call 800-258-7188.

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