As this year’s Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM) approaches, it marks the end of an era for Andres Schanzer, MD, and William Robinson, MD, who have played integral roles in shaping the event’s trajectory. Schanzer’s leadership as VAM program chair comes to a close after 10 years of being on the SVS Program Committee, with the last three completing his term as program chair.
Under his guidance, the VAM program experienced significant growth, with a record-breaking number of abstract and educational submissions. He emphasized the importance of adapting to meet the evolving needs of vascular surgeons, leading to expanded educational sessions and collaborations with partner programs such as the European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) and the American Venous Forum (AVF).
“Probably the most exciting part of that time has been seeing the quality of the meeting—and its many diverse offerings—continue to expand to meet the needs of the broad vascular surgery membership,” said Schanzer.
In addition to enhancing educational content, Schanzer prioritized facilitating connections and collaboration among attendees. He emphasized the importance of networking opportunities and interactive sessions, as well as redesigning the meeting format to encourage participant engagement and discourse. Schanzer also pointed to the importance of making VAM more representative of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). He spearheaded various initiatives to achieve this, including encouraging diverse submissions, increasing representation in sessions, and limiting the number of presentations per person to promote equity.
Initiatives like the simultaneous presentation and publication in the Journal of Vascular Surgery (JVS) and the visual abstract program have increased the impact of scientific research, providing researchers with greater visibility and more opportunities for dissemination. The joint JVS-VAM submission deadline, falling April 15, involves accepted manuscripts being formatted and released in print alongside social media and web promotions while they are presented at VAM. This is the second year of this initiative.
Schanzer underscored the shift from presenting scientific content to facilitating networking and interaction among attendees. Initiatives such as morning sessions with no concurrent content and conversational settings were designed to create an environment conducive to collaboration.
“We started the SVS Connect@VAM event last year, a program on the Wednesday night of VAM, which instills a family-friendly, carnival-style event where people can bring their partners, their children, their friends, and it’s been fun to see the membership embrace that,” he said. “This year, for the first time, we’re having a keynote speaker, and the whole concept behind that is to bring in someone who can bring a different lens than a vascular surgeon would on an important topic.”
Looking ahead, Schanzer expressed excitement about VAM’s future under new leadership. Jason Lee, MD, will be the new chair.
“I think it’s a big responsibility to be entrusted with guiding the direction of the meeting, and I’ve taken that responsibility seriously. I’m honored and humbled to have done it. I feel confident that we’ve brought it from a place where it was functioning at a high level to even a higher level, and I know Dr. Lee and his leadership will continue to move that ball forward. Change is good and Dr. Lee will bring a fresh perspective and a new energy to the meeting,” said Schanzer.
He found reward in collaborating with the SVS leadership team and witnessing the meeting’s improvement each year. Schanzer looked forward to continuing his involvement in SVS activities, remaining committed to advancing the organization’s mission.
Meanwhile, William Robinson, MD, who has served on the Postgraduate Education Committee (PGEC) for nine years, including as chair for the last three, shared insights on the evolution of educational programming at VAM. Robinson spearheaded a shift in the way the programming was conceptualized and executed at VAM, transitioning from a committee-centric approach to a more inclusive and rigorous process, where formal proposals were solicited from the membership-at-large, internal groups and external organizations, and then blindly graded and chosen by the PGEC.
“We’ve been so encouraged by an increasing amount of SVS member engagement and internal and external organization engagement throughout those three years,” said Robinson. “We went from, I believe, 33 proposals for educational sessions in the first year to more than 90 for VAM 2024.”
A key aspect of Robinson’s legacy was the emphasis on collaboration and inclusivity in session development. The PGEC developed and moderated the sessions in collaboration with those who proposed them. In addition, by limiting the number of speaking and moderating roles for any one individual, the PGEC promoted a diverse array of speakers and moderators, as well as fostered a culture of continuity and engagement within the educational programming. Around 200 speakers and moderators are slated this year.
Robinson also highlighted the committee’s efforts to enhance the delivery and format of educational sessions. The committee introduced shorter, more interactive formats to increase attendee engagement and accommodate diverse learning styles.
Looking ahead, Robinson expressed gratitude for the opportunity to learn much from his PGEC colleagues and confidence in the emerging leadership’s ability to build upon the foundation laid during his tenure. He emphasized the importance of continued innovation and adaptability in responding to the evolving needs of vascular surgeons and other healthcare professionals. Claudie Sheahan, MD, will replace Robinson as PGEC chair.
“We read about factionalization within vascular surgery, but my experience on the PGEC and VAM creation has been one where I’ve seen a lot of collaboration, fairness and camaraderie,” said Robinson. “Working with all of he talented and dedicated PGEC members and VAM participants over the years has been a tremendous honor and deeply rewarding, and it leaves me very confident of the way VAM can continue to grow in the future.”
