In transition: SVS Young Surgeons achieve full section status

The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Executive Board (EB) unanimously approved the transition of the Young Surgeons Section (YSS) from a pilot section to a full section during their annual retreat held July 26–27. The decision is a reflection of the section’s many accomplish­ments and commitment to its mission.

The SVS implemented membership sections to give dif­ferent subsets of the organization an opportunity to provide added member value and voice in Society initiatives. In 2022, the EB approved the section to begin its pilot phase to rep­resent members within their first 0–10 years of practice, a demographic of membership that has been growing rapidly over the years. The formal mission of the YSS is to foster and accelerate the learning and career development of SVS members within their first decade in clinical practice.

“While the number of ‘young’ vascular surgeons is in­creasing, there is expected to be a surgical shortage of about 30,000 by 2030. The YSS aims to bring forth relevant edu­cation and resources to those millennials and Gen Z-ers who are entering the surgeon workforce. We hope that by offering more relevant resources to this group, we don’t see as many people leaving the specialty or the surgical field,” said Edward Gifford, MD, chair of the YSS.

Gifford recently assumed the section chair position after the 2024 Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM). Prior to VAM, Chelsea Dorsey, MD, served as the section’s inaugural chair, and Gifford served as the vice chair. The two have led a steer­ing committee of 12 young surgeons who have spearheaded initiatives and engaged the section’s membership at large.

The SVS leadership has championed the importance of expanding diversity of perspective and engagement. There is now a YSS representative on the SVS Nominating Com­mittee. This change has given voice to the YSS demographic when it comes to choosing leadership for future SVS posi­tions. Another change that was influenced by the YSS leadership was to give Early Active members of the SVS the opportunity to vote in SVS elec­tions and serve on SVS committees. Both proposed changes were brought to the SVS membership to vote and passed in 2022 and 2023, respectively. The chair of the YSS now sits on the SVS Appointments and Nominations Committee, as well as the Stra­tegic Board of Directors.

“Seeing these changes to the structure of long-standing SVS Committees and the voting membership has motivated me during my years as section chair to keep advocating for this demographic,” said Dorsey. “Being able to make a difference and provide a voice for this growing group of members of our organization is vitally important, in my mind, to the overall health and growth of the SVS.”

Since its inception, the YSS has implemented two work­groups of section members to in order to thrash out different initiatives based on the results of a needs assessment. The career development and research workgroups are composed of 10 YSS members each and have worked to implement two monthly YSS-sponsored journal clubs with the Journal of Vascular Surgery (JVS), help expand the SVS mentor match program to include all SVS members and more. Additionally, members of the YSS currently serve on other committees and workgroups through­out the SVS, including the Communications and Branding Committee, Leadership Development Committee, Education Council and Compensation Study workgroup.

While at VAM, Dorsey announced that a visiting professorship for YSS members will be added as an opportunity for application in 2025, and a schol­arship program is being designed to help mem­bers travel to different conferences. The SVS is expected to emerge with more information on these initiatives in the coming months.

Gifford is excited to see membership growth throughout the section. He also plans to work with SVS leaders to get YSS members on more committees.

“Young vascular surgeons are the future of our specialty and our society. We are so excited about the approval of the section and are committed to providing resources for advocacy, collaboration, mentorship and career development for our peers,” he said. “We want all the young vascular surgeons around the country and the world to know that there is a dedicated group within the SVS to be inclusive of your needs.”

To join the YSS, members within their first 10 years of practice can email [email protected].