VRIC comes to VAM

Jun 02, 2021 Re-posted from the June 2021 issue of Vascular Specialist

By Beth Bales

This year, the two major meetings of the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) that involve the presentation of scientific research are being housed in one tent.

The Vascular Research Initiatives Conference (VRIC), typically held in May and geared to translational research, will be held over two sessions Thursday and Friday at the 2021 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM).

More than 25 abstracts will be presented in four sessions covering arterial remodeling and discovery science for venous disease; vascular regeneration, stem cells and wound healing; atherosclerosis and the role of the immune system; and aortopathies and novel vascular devices.

The four recipients of the VRIC Travel Award—participating in vascular research in labs across the country—also will be recognized.

Thursday’s session includes abstracts in the first two categories followed by a short discussion and summary session.

Friday’s session will be preceded by a networking lunch from 12 to 12:55 p.m.; the afternoon’s program will be from 12:55 to 3 p.m. Philip S. Tsao, PhD, of Stanford University, will present the Alexander W. Clowes Distinguished Lecture, “Molecular and genetic approaches to understanding abdominal aortic aneurysm disease,” beginning at 1:30 p.m. Friday. Tsao also is associate chief of staff for precision medicine at the Department of Veteran Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System and director of the VA Palo Alto Epidemiology Research and Information Center for Genomics. VAM registrants may attend VRIC@VAM as part of their registration fee.

Those who want to attend only VRIC may do so. Cost is $100 for an SVS member, $75 for a candidate member and $50 for residents and fellows (both SVS member and non-member); $200 for a non-member physician; $75 for allied health professionals; and $25 for medical students (both member and non-member).

To register, visit vascular.org/RegisterVAM21.

“It’s definitely not our ‘regular’ VRIC this year,” said Luke Brewster, MD, chair of the SVS Research Council. “But we are excited to be presenting our translational research—many of it from vascular surgeon-scientists relatively early in their careers—to the wider VAM audience. It’s important for these researchers to have this forum, and it’s important for our SVS members to be presented with their exciting work.”

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