With sessions covering a wide swath of topics important to vascular surgeons, including many proposed by Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) members themselves, participants at the 2023 SVS Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM) are sure to find valuable information on both clinical and non-clinical topics important to the professional lives of vascular surgeons.
That’s the word from William Robinson, MD, chair of the SVS Postgraduate Education Committee (PGEC), which plans the educational sessions at VAM. The meeting takes place June 14–17 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C.
“Our committee has striven to achieve a really good mix of topics,” he said of the 17 clinical and eight non-clinical sessions that comprise the educational sessions. “We have something for everybody, irrespective of where they are in their careers. We also try to mix clinical information with sessions related to education, practice management, advocacy for our specialty and professional well-being. In all of them, we strive for programs which are innovative and current, and try to use inventive and interactive formats to increase engagement.”
The PGEC evaluated—blindly—63 proposals submitted by members in the fall of 2022. Committee members ultimately selected 18 proposals, and then worked with the submitters to develop the educational sessions. Those represent a large portion of PGEC programming. The remainder of the sessions cover clinical topics highly desired based upon feedback from SVS members, but which have not been addressed in three to four years.
Throughout the meeting, sessions will cover what Robinson calls “updates and innovations in the meat and potatoes of vascular surgery,” such as hemodialysis, acute limb ischemia, venous disease and arterial intervention, while mixing in specialized and more focused topics.
For example, the schedule includes a session on the “onco-vascular surgeon,” on vascular surgeons’ assistance in cancer operations. “This highlights the role vascular surgeons play in assisting multiple other specialties, of which cancer surgery is just one area,” said Robinson.
“Every year, we consider what topics need particular emphasis based on current practice trends, important data and member feedback,” he said. This year, such sessions will cover venous disease, two of them offered in collaboration with the American Venous Forum, one on iliocaval stenting, and a second on “what’s new in deep venous thrombosis treatments.”
In addition, a session is planned that takes a deeper dive into the BEST-CLI and BASIL-2 trials.
The PGEC also works with the four SVS sections—Young Surgeons, Community Practice, Women’s, and Sub-Section on Outpatient & Office Vascular Care (SOOVC)—to develop educational programs sponsored by each. Topics include financial literacy (Women’s Section), the business side of running an outpatient facility (SOOVC), tips for surgeons in their first five years of practice (Young Surgeons Section), and a session on recognizing, enhancing and promoting the vascular surgeon’s value (Community Practice Section). Physician assistants will have separate educational sessions, including a luncheon and “Cases Over Cocktails” with the Society for Vascular Nursing.
The educational sessions organized by the sections proved popular last year, said Robinson.
“They allow a particular membership group to identify what large portions of SVS members think are important. It therefore gives all of our members an opportunity for a voice in the meeting content, and helps ensure this content is applicable and important to a diverse group of members,” he said.
View the VAM Online Planner for detailed information on all presentations at vascular.org/OnlinePlanner23.
