Inaugural Enrico Ascher Vascular Innovation Institute cohort will receive entrepreneurial training, mentorship and industry guidance to advance technologies with the potential to improve patient care.
ROSEMONT, IL, October 30, 2026 — Following a competitive call for applications, the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Foundation is pleased to announce seven vascular surgeons were selected for the inaugural Entrepreneurial Bootcamp of the Enrico Ascher Vascular Innovation Institute.
The inaugural cohort will participate in the eight-week bootcamp scheduled for January through March 2027. Presented in partnership with Lab2Market, the program will prepare participants for the next stages of developing their innovative products and technologies. Following the bootcamp, eligible participants will have the opportunity to compete in the Innovation Awards Competition at the 2027 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM27), June 2–5 in San Diego.
“We are thrilled with the inaugural cohort of vascular surgeons and the potential to leverage these innovative ideas to improve patient care,” said Jonathan Bath, MD, Member, SVS Foundation Board of Directors. “Through the Enrico Ascher Vascular Innovations Institute, we are providing the entrepreneurial education, mentorship and resources needed to help vascular surgeons translate their ideas into viable technologies. We look forward to seeing their innovations progress toward commercialization and ultimately make a meaningful difference for patients.”
Meet the Inaugural Entrepreneurial Bootcamp Cohort
The seven selected physicians are working on a range of solutions from improving dialysis access and predicting life-threatening aortic complications to advancing minimally invasive procedures.
The inaugural cohort includes the following vascular surgeons, listed with their professional affiliations and proposed innovations:
Rumi Faizer, MD — Loma Linda University
Compliant aortic stent graft for restoration of management of systolic hypertension.
(The technology was developed at the University of Minnesota which holds the patent for the innovation.)
Omid Jazaeri, MD — University of Texas at Austin, Dell Medical School, Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery; and University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Department of Bioengineering
Catheter-Delivered Temperature-Activated Non-Adhesive Liquid Embolic for Target Vessel Embolization
Sophia Khan, MD — University of Pittsburgh and UPMC
Using Multimodal Deep Learning to Predict Aortic Disease Outcomes to Prevent Ruptures, Dissections, and Mortality
(Dr. Khan's affiliation with the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC does not indicate institutional ownership of the project or its associated intellectual property.)
Jason MacTaggart, MD — Nebraska Medicine and Omaha VA
Aquablade: A Purpose-Built Fluid Jet Catheter for Safe Aortic Septotomy in Chronic Type B Aortic Dissection, developed through Aquablade Vascular, co-founded with Majid Jadidi, PhD, of the University of Nebraska, Omaha.
Katherine McMackin, MD — Cooper Medical School of Rowan University / Cooper Norcross University Hospital
One Stick, Every Direction: A Multidirectional Vascular Access System for Endovascular Procedures
Adam Tanious, MD, MBA, MMSc — Medical University of South Carolina
Anchor Sheath, developed through Anchor Medical, a venture co-founded with Ryan Gedney, MD, of The Vascular Care Group.
Mohamed Zayed, MD — Washington University in St. Louis
HEAL-Graft: Self-Healing Prosthetic Vascular Graft for Hemodialysis Access
About the Enrico Ascher Vascular Innovation Institute
The Enrico Ascher Vascular Innovation Institute was established by the SVS Foundation to advance vascular surgeon-led innovation through entrepreneurial education, mentorship and industry engagement. Developed in partnership with the SVS Research Council and SVS Innovation Task Force, the Institute launched at the 2026 SVS Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM) in Boston
For more information, visit the Enrico Ascher Vascular Innovation Institute.
About the Society for Vascular Surgery Foundation
The Society for Vascular Surgery Foundation advances the future of vascular care by investing in research, innovation, education and public awareness. Through grants, scholarships and programs supporting vascular surgeons at every career stage, the Foundation helps accelerate scientific discovery, develop future leaders and improve outcomes for patients with vascular disease.
Media Contact:
Sarah Jeziorski
svspress@vascularsociety.org