Medical students and general surgery residents have until May 19 to apply for Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Annual Meeting travel scholarships. The scholarships are the SVS General Surgery Resident/Medical Student VAM Travel Scholarship and the SVS Diversity Medical Student VAM Travel Scholarship. Each provides not only a travel award to underwrite expenses to attend VAM, but also complimentary meeting registration, a mentorship program, and a dedicated educational and networking program.

Voting runs from May 17 to 24 on proposed bylaws amendments and for the position of vice president of the Society for Vascular Surgery. Immediately preceding the opening of voting, SVS leaders will host a Town Hall from 6 to 8 p.m. Central Daylight Time, “Leading the Way in 2021: An Evening with the Appointments and Nominating Committees.” President Ronald L. Dalman, MD, will facilitate the Town Hall.

The recent decision from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to reduce the dedicated research effort from 75 to 50% for K awards is a landmark change and will have a tremendous impact on vascular surgeons.The decision affects the June 2021 submission date and applies to vascular, cardiothoracic and trauma surgeons, as well as interventional.

The SVS Political Action Committee (PAC) is critically important for our voices to be heard in the places where policies that affect all of our practices are being made. The PAC’s role is one of advocacy and influence—to educate Congress on the important policies and referendums that can have a direct effect on our patients and our practices.

With social media having such a prevalent presence today, it continues to play a significant role in connecting surgeons, prospective trainees and medical students throughout the vascular community. The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Social Media Committee has launched its newest initiative to keep members connected, the new monthly #SVSTweetChat series. Each month, expert panelists will share career advice, hot topics of debate, and innovations in the vascular field with the Twitter community.

The Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM) is more anticipated than ever after the annus horribilis of 2020 and the pared-back, digital VAM alternative that was SVS ONLINE. While organizers have previously relayed the changes made for this year’s meeting, Program Committee co-chair Matthew Eagleton, MD, took the opportunity to once again emphasize the significant changes to its structure for 2021, with educational programming presented across all four days— Wednesday through Saturday.

Racial and ethnically-based disparities exist in healthcare. To highlight these disparities, and what the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) is doing to address them, the 2021 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM) will feature a special session on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). It will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 20, and will immediately precede the 2021 Presidential Address from Ronald L. Dalman, MD, at 11 a.m.

The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) and the Academy for Surgical Coaching are developing a first-of-its-kind coaching program that strengthens wellness support for vascular surgeons. Studies show they—along with physicians across specialties—are experiencing an increase in burnout, anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation.

Registration and housing are set to open in mid-May for the 2021 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM), which takes place Aug. 18–21 in San Diego. Educational programming is ready to run across all four days, with exhibits open Thursday and Friday. The meeting will be subject to safety and health protocols likely to change between now and August.

Stand up for your feet. That is the message from David Armstrong, DPM, PhD, a member of the Society for Vascular Surgery and a podiatric surgeon.