Target 2021: SVS councils and committees drill down on key goals for year ahead (Part 5)

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Ronald L. Dalman

While there is little doubt the pandemic has impacted each vascular surgeon and the SVS as a Society in numerous ways, the commitment and dedication of SVS committee, council and task force members to deliver on the mission has remained undaunted. Thanks to outstanding leadership by the Executive Board and Strategic Board, and impeccable stewardship and professional support by our staff, the SVS has not lost a beat, and, if anything, is poised to step on the gas as some semblance of normalcy reappears. Despite incredible challenges in local practice conditions across the country, councils, committees and task forces kept meeting, thinking and producing results for members and patients.

SVS even generated some new committees and task forces during this challenging time, such as the Diversity Committee and the Population Health Task Force—reflective of the new opportunities for change on our horizon. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our SVS leaders, volunteers and staff for their steadfast commitment to our higher mission and cause as a Society. The reports presented (part 1 is located here; the second installment is here; the third is here; and the penultimate can be viewed here) show a vibrant, forward-looking Society, positioned to embrace whatever comes. This—part 5—is the final installment.—Ronald L. Dalman, MD, SVS president

Emphasizing the necessity of basic and translational science

The SVS Research Council oversees the research mission of the SVS through the functions of the Basic and Translational Research Committee and the Clinical Research Committee. In 2021, a key goal is to continue to emphasize the essential nature of basic and translational research in understanding the pathogenesis of vascular diseases and developing novel therapies.

The SVS Research Council supports the development of young vascular surgeon-investigators

Central to this is supporting the development of young vascular surgeon-investigators who will dedicate their careers to delving into the unanswered questions behind the diseases treated by the specialty, explains council chair Edith Tzeng, MD.

Another significant goal for 2021 is to update SVS clinical research priorities. The original priorities were developed in 2010 through a survey of SVS membership and opinion leaders. Over the past decade, several of these priorities have been the focus of multicenter clinical trials that will provide guidance on the management of vascular diseases. Given the exponential growth of clinical investigations and sophisticated analysis of big data, significant knowledge has been gained.

“Thus, it is time to update these clinical research priorities so that vascular surgeons can stay contemporary with the needs of the specialty and of patients,” Tzeng says.— Beth Bales

Forging ahead with a new identity and planning for VRIC 2021

The Basic and Translational Research Committee (BTRC) is the new name of the former Research and Education Committee. The name change reflects the charge to help encourage surgeon applicants dedicated to basic and translational discovery in vascular science. “We are a diverse group of young and established vascular surgeon-investigators with broad expertise in vascular science,” says committee chair Luke P. Brewster, MD.

The BTRC will bring VRIC to a virtual audience this year

“For 2021, we are very excited to bring our Vascular Research Initiatives Conference (VRIC) to our SVS constituents and the vascular science community broadly in a virtual platform.”

This will occur in two, two-hour sessions, and all accepted abstracts have the opportunity to be published in JVS-Vascular Science.

The committee has been preparing for this pivot to a virtual platform, setting the dates for Wednesday, April 28, and Thursday, May 6. Both sessions will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Central Time.

“In addition to highlighting important advances in vascular science, we will be emphasizing trainee presentations. Please consider submitting your science and attending our Virtual VRIC 2021,” adds Brewster.—Beth Bales

Publications Committee braced for major change in year ahead

The Publications Committee is responsible for overseeing, among others, the Journal of Vascular Surgery (JVS) family, the Rutherford textbook and Seminars in Vascular Surgery. After conducting reviews and interviews, committee members as a group put forth candidates for the editorship of JVS and Rutherford to the SVS Executive Committee for its final decisions, according to committee chair Peter Henke, MD.

JVS-Vascular Science, the latest addition to SVS’ family of journals

“This next year is a big year for us,” he relates. “We have been charged with performing a full review of the journal as it relates to the Elsevier (publisher) contract, and the journal as it stands in processes and impact. We have hired the esteemed consulting group, Clarke and Esposito, to accomplish this.

“Over the years, the JVS has been a part of the SVS bottom line, and the journal contract is a major financial issue. Moreover, the academic publishing world is in a state of significant change, not the least of which is the future of Open Access.

“We have a timeline of about 15 months to complete this charge, and will hopefully set the stage for the next decade or so. Intertwined with this will be creating a vision for how best dissemination of scholarly information occurs, in the short- and long-term, for SVS members and vascular disease caregivers overall.”—Beth Bales

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