BY PETER CONNOLLY, MD, AND MARK MATTOS, MD

Imagine that you are telling your lay friends about what you do for a living. You have to explain the difference between arteries and veins. And then you find that you need to clarify that you do not, in fact, operate on the heart.

It doesn’t get too much farther down the road than this, when, under usual circumstances, you are met with a combination of awe and indifference. Awe because— well—people like gory stories, and indifference because, in the end, they can’t ever really relate to it.

Get ready for another “Spectacular” evening at the 2020 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM).

Ticket sales began in February for the second annual Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Foundation “Vascular Spectacular Gala: Northern Lights.”

As last year’s gala sold out in six weeks, Gala Committee chairs Cynthia Shortell, MD, and Benjamin Starnes, MD, are urging those who want to attend this year to reserve their seats early.

BY GREGORY KASPER, MD

While I may be the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Political Action Committee (PAC) chair, I find I still need a refresher from time to time regarding the members of Congress serving on committees that deal with healthcare issues where the SVS PAC needs to dedicate the most time and resources. So, as the second session of the 116th Congress is now getting into full swing, I wanted to share information on the three major committees that deal with healthcare policies influenced by the legislative process.

BY JAMES ELMORE, MD

Mission, vision and strategy are necessary to develop a cutting-edge vascular surgery program. To maintain such a program, one needs to implement an overall long-term strategic plan, as well as meticulously oversee the administration of day-to-day details.

Registration and housing for the 2020 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM) are now open.

The 2020 Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) meeting will be held June 17 to 20 in Toronto, Canada. VAM starts with a full day of educational programming June 17, including six postgraduate courses, a number of international events, abstract presentations from the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society, an “Ask the Expert” session on mentorship in vascular surgery and a concurrent session on digital health advancements in the field of vascular surgery.

With significant progress made on many fronts in 2019, the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) is looking forward to the next horizon in 2020.

Much has been made of the impending shortage of physicians in the United States, with worrying predictions that it could be as soon as 2030. The driving force is a rising, aging population and an upsurge in chronic disease such as diabetes and obesity.

Not surprisingly, the vascular surgery specialty is predicted to suffer the greatest shortage. The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) and the Association of Program Directors in Vascular Surgery (APDVS) have taken strides to help combat this through medical student and resident outreach.

Drugs and therapies that target immune cells and pathways within the body already exist to fight a number of diseases. Can vascular disease join the list?

The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) and Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) teamed up to release new reporting standards in order to ensure patients with type B aortic dissections (TBADs) receive appropriate treatment and care.

The care of patients with type B dissections has evolved over time and now includes medical, surgical and endovascular therapies, often in a multidisciplinary environment, and performed by several specialties, including vascular surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, interventional radiology as well as cardiology.