[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"1307","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"480","style":"width: 146px; height: 183px; margin-left: 6px; margin-right: 6px; float: left;","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"384"}}]]CHICAGO, Ill., June 15, 2017 – Vascular surgeon Dr. Michel S. Makaroun was named president-elect of the Society for Vascular Surgery at its annual meeting in June. He will serve in this role for one year, then ascend to president in June, 2018.
Dr. Makaroun is a professor of surgery and of clinical and translational science at the University of Pittsburgh. He has served as SVS vice president for the previous 12 months.
A native of Lebanon, Dr. Makaroun earned his medical degree and spent his first three years of residency at the American University of Beirut before joining the training program at the University Health Center of Pittsburgh in 1980. He joined the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1986.
This year, as president elect, he intends to focus on the future need for more vascular surgeons. Vascular surgeons focus on the health and viability of the body’s veins and arteries, which commonly suffer from atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Clogged arteries are responsible for peripheral artery disease, carotid artery disease and other diseases. Vascular surgeons are highly trained in both open surgery and endovascular surgery and specialize in complex procedures.
“Our medical schools and fellowships are turning out about 150 new vascular surgeons a year, but to keep up with the needs of the aging population in the United States, we would need at least 200 a year,” Dr. Makaroun said.
To add to the shortage, he pointed out that many vascular surgeons themselves will be retiring in the next decade, just as the demand for vascular specialists increases.
In his leadership role, Dr. Makaroun will work to increase the number of vascular surgery training positions. Dr. Makaroun developed both fellowship and residency training programs in Pittsburgh. Along with Dr. Richard Cambria, he has been instrumental in efforts to increase the number of vascular surgical fellowships around the U.S.
Dr Makaroun has been active in the SVS since 1997 and most recently has served on the executive, international relations, membership and document oversight committees. He is a distinguished fellow of the SVS and served as secretary from 2013-2016.
He has held 33 visiting professor or honorary lecture positions and has authored or co-authored 203 refereed publications and 57 book chapters. He has been the principal investigator or co-investigator on numerous grant-funded projects.
Dr. Makaroun and his wife, Silva, who is a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of Pittsburgh, have two adult children, both physicians. Their son Sami is on the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh in the division of maternal fetal medicine. His daughter Lena recently finished her training in geriatric medicine.