VAM brings together not only vascular surgeons but also residents, fellows and medical students keen to glean as much vascular education as possible. VS@VAM caught up with a selection of aspiring surgeons to find out how their conference was going so far—and what they hope to gain from it.
- “I’m looking forward to meeting the leaders in the field, getting to see and learn about interesting research, new technology and learning more about vascular surgery outside of the limited clinical setting that I had during rotations this past year.” Jordan George, third-year medical student at Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee.
- “Internships and sponsorships are the two key things that have helped me … so I really look to my mentors and sponsors I’ve met at VAM to guide me in my next steps.” Jessica Rea, MD, resident at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.
- “I’m looking forward to networking and getting to know more vascular surgeons and, all in all, getting more vascular exposure through some of the topics presented at VAM.” Marinna Tadros, MD, applying for vascular surgery residency at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas.
- “I come from a school that doesn’t have a vascular program so just getting exposed to that is what I’m really looking forward to.” Daemar Jones, scholarship recipient, fourth-year medical student at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas.
- “I hope to meet people with similar interests and background in vascular surgery and to connect with mentors in the field, while getting advice on how someone very early in his or her career can proceed.” Kundanika Lakkadi, medical student at University of Queensland-Ochsner Clinical School, New Orleans.
- “As a Canadian trainee, to be able to get a sense of the broader vascular surgery landscape and being able to network with our colleagues is what I most look forward to. I’m looking forward to the “Emerging Issues and Controversies in Vascular Trauma” session; I think it will be very interesting.” Arshia Javidan, MD, resident, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
