SVS: W. L. Gore & Associates Block Grant Will Support Vascular Quality

ROSEMONT, Ill., Oct. 8, 2019 – W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. will support a new Society for Vascular Surgery initiative to advance patient safety programs and the quality of vascular care, the SVS has announced.

SVS trainees interested in health policy have until the end of the month to apply to spend a day on Capitol Hill. The recipient of the SVS Vascular Surgery Trainee Advocacy Travel Scholarship will learn about vascular surgery issues and discuss with lawmakers and their staffs issues of concern for vascular surgeons and their patients.

Applications are due by Oct. 31. The recipient will receive $1,500 to defray travel costs. The scholarship is sponsored by the SVS Resident and Student Outreach Committee.

SVS member Matthew Edwards, MD, and wife, Angela Edwards, MD, were named co-chairs for the 27th Annual Winston-Salem Heart and Stroke Walk in late September.

Dear Friends,

The SVS Foundation is a fundamental part of our Society, entrusted with supporting programs that advance our knowledge of vascular disease and improve the care delivery process to our patients and communities.

Attending the Vascular Annual Meeting on a student travel scholarship nearly a decade ago changed the course of Andrea Obi’s career.

Already leaning toward vascular surgery, her VAM experience — including a mentor to show her the ropes — cemented that decision. “SVS made me feel not only that I belonged there, but that I was valued,” she said. “I’d never had that experience before.”

She wants prospective members today to feel that same camaraderie and sense of belonging she has always felt and urges them to apply for membership. The final deadline for 2019 is Dec. 1.

The end of the year is fast approaching, and SVS memberships are now up for 2020 renewals.

Dues invoices have been distributed to all members via email and must be paid by Dec. 31 to maintain SVS membership and access to the Journal of Vascular Surgery and SVSConnect. Statements will be mailed in early November, for those who need hard-copy invoices.

VRIC Submission Site Opens Oct. 29: Abstracts for the 2020 Vascular Research Initiatives Conference may be submitted beginning Oct. 29.

VRIC is held the day before and in the same location as the American Heart Association’s “Vascular Discovery: From Genes to Medicine” Scientific Sessions. VRIC takes place May 4, and Vascular Discovery May 5 to 7, 2020, at the Hilton Chicago in Chicago.

Abstracts will be accepted through Jan. 7, 2020.

With physician distress a top concern of vascular surgeons, the SVS and its Wellness Task Force are launching a member/peer support program next month to help members develop coping techniques and optimize wellness. Launched in 2017, the task force was charged with proactively addressing vascular surgeon burnout with attention to the individual and organizational leadership. Lessons learned from member feedback through various surveys and focus groups have translated to structured interventions.

September 2019

(Note: An abbreviated version of this ran in the October issue of Vascular Specialist.)

News from JVS Publications - New Journal, New Websites