Dear colleagues,

We, the SVS and its members, stand at a pivotal time in our history. Health care policy will be at the center of the debate in next year’s elections. It is apparent that vascular surgeons need to have a voice in our future or be swept away in others’ ideas for how health care should be delivered and reimbursed in our country. The battle lines are now being drawn.

BY PETER ROSSI, MD, FACS, FSVS ON BEHALF OF THE SVS LEADERSHIP AND DIVERSITY COMMITTEE

Vascular surgery leaders are selecting the first 20 participants for the new Leadership Development Program, aimed at accelerating the leadership development of the next generation of vascular surgeons.

SVS is collaborating on the ground-breaking initiative for early-career surgeons (5 to 10 years in practice) with the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society and the Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery.

Graduated Candidates in Year 4: Transition to Active Membership

With approximately six weeks left in 2019, it’s time for SVS members to pay their 2020 dues.

Dues invoices have been distributed to all members via email and/or mail. Dues must be paid by Dec. 31 to maintain SVS membership and access to the Journal of Vascular Surgery, SVSConnect and other benefits.

The Society for Vascular Surgery has officially launched a member support component of its wellness program, designed to help vascular surgeons enhance their personal resilience and continue development of a compassionate and accountable peer community.

Applications for two SVS Foundation surgeon-scientist awards are due in January 2020.

Applications for the prestigious Resident Research Award are due Jan. 15, 2020. This award — one of the most important opportunities for surgical trainees in vascular laboratories — is for early-career surgeons interested in research on the biology of vascular diseases and potential translational therapies.

Shopping on Amazon? Don’t Forget to ‘Smile’

This year’s late Thanksgiving on Nov. 28 means the “official” holiday shopping season starts a little later than usual. “Giving Tuesday,” the annual day of global giving that follows Thanksgiving and its companion shopping days, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, is later as well.

Abstracts and videos for the 2020 Vascular Annual Meeting are now being accepted.



Submissions may be considered for the following programs: Scientific Session, Vascular and Endovascular Surgical Society (VESS), International Forum, International Fast Talk, International Young Surgeon Competition, Poster Competition and Interactive Poster.



Videos also may be submitted for inclusion in scientific sessions or the "How I Do It" video session. Consider submitting a video of a novel/unique approach, or a core vascular surgical procedure.

SVS Wellness Task Force members will discuss wellness topics on the SVSConnect online community. That means the time is now to make sure all members can participate there, including on the mobile app, which makes access a breeze.

SVS:- AAA size predicts outcomes after endovascular repair

DIFFERENCES IN PATIENT SELECTION AND OUTCOMES BASED ON ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSM DIAMETER THRESHOLDS IN THE VASCULAR QUALITY INITIATIVE. November 2019, Journal of Vascular Surgery.

CHICAGO, Illinois, November 2019 – Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) diameter has important implications for operative and long-term outcomes for patients, based on a study of 22,975 patient records in the Vascular Quality Initiative.