The 2024 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM) saw the culmination of a decade-long project by the Society for Vascular Surgery’s (SVS) History Project Work Group. The release of the book, Legends Leaders Pioneers: Surgeons Who Built Vascular Surgery, marks a significant milestone in documenting the history and evolution of vascular surgery.
Authored by the late James S.T. Yao, MD, and Walter J. McCarthy, MD, the title brings together the recollections of over 90 prominent vascular surgeons who were instrumental in shaping the field. Through in-depth video interviews conducted by the SVS History Project Work Group committee, readers are given a unique opportunity to meet these pioneers face-to-face. Each biography in the book is accompanied by a QR code, enabling instant access to the full video interview, providing an immersive historical experience.
The project, initiated by Yao in 2011 and chaired by McCarthy since 2018, captures first-hand accounts of technical advances, new devices, prosthetic materials and the fascinating careers of these surgeons. McCarthy highlighted the project’s significance, stating, “This book is a testament to the incredible journey of vascular surgery. It preserves the voices and experiences of those who have paved the way for future generations. Their stories of innovation, perseverance and dedication are invaluable to both the vascular surgery community and the practicing vascular surgeons as inspiration to those in training or in those contemplating this career.”
Other initiators included Norman M. Rich, MD, Roger Gregory, MD, and Calvin Ernest, MD. Committee members of the project included Kenneth Cherry, MD, William Baker, MD, Mark Eskandari, MD, Melina Kibbe, MD, Peter Lawrence, MD, Richard Lynn, MD, and William Pearce, MD.
One notable feature of this book involves vascular luminaries Michael DeBakey, MD, Denton Cooley, MD, and Juan Parodi, MD. The work reflects on their mentors, including the likes of Alfred Blalock, MD, and Marie René Leriche, MD, who advanced the understanding of intermittent claudication and lumbar sympathectomy. This book is available through Amazon. The SVS owns the copyright, and royalties from book sales support the organization.
In addition to celebrating this project, the SVS has launched a new history project—the Vascular Surgery History Archive. This initiative was featured in the VAM 2024 video titled “LEGENDS LEADERS PIONEERS: Surgeons Who Built Vascular Surgery.” The archive aims to continue documenting the field’s evolution, and preserving the stories of current and future vascular surgery leaders.
The new archive promises to be a rich resource for surgeons, historians and the public, ensuring that the legacy of vascular surgery’s pioneers is accessible for generations to come.
“It’s an honor to carry on the work of Dr. Yao, Dr. McCarthy, and all the others who did such an outstanding job in the Vascular Surgery History Group. Our goal with the Vascular Surgery History Archive Task Force is to create and curate a digital nexus for the history of the SVS and the specialty of vascular surgery, a central hub on the internet where information in all media is available for anyone interested in these topics. We encourage all members of the society who possess historic artifacts, information or an interest in this project to contact us,” said Craig Miller, MD, co-chair of the SVS History Digital Archives Task Force.
To learn more about the project, visit vascular.org/History.
