News Briefs From the SVS Board Meeting

The SVS Board of Directors met on Oct. 17 in San Francisco. Some of the highlights from the meeting are:

International societies and symposia planned. Representatives from vascular societies throughout the world attended a meeting in Helsinki, Finland, in September to discuss the creation of an international vascular society. A follow-up meeting initiated by SVS President Enrico Ascher, M.D., was scheduled for Nov. 18 in New York City.

Are you planning to attend the Vascular Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, June 1-4? Mark your calendar for two new international symposia that will round out the agenda for this meeting.

An International Symposium will include societies from Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America.

A symposium on vascular innovations will be conducted by the European Society of Vascular Surgeons (ESVS).

In exchange with ESVS, SVS will hold a symposium at the ESVS meeting in Prague in September 2006.

President's Advisory Committee established. Tapping into the organizational memory that will help SVS bridge the past to the future, the newly formed President's Advisory Committee held its inaugural meeting on Oct. 16. Committee members include the five past presidents of SVS and its predecessor, the American Association for Vascular Surgery, and five at-large members. The Council will provide a sounding board for new initiatives and help identify key strategic issues.

SVS considers formation of sections. Should the Society have sections that provide a focal point for special interest groups such as vascular chairs and vascular training program directors? The Board approved creation of a Task Force to explore this issue and report on its recommendations at the February 2006 Board meeting. The new Task Force will be chaired by James Seeger, M.D.

Postgraduate educational offerings to expand. The SVS Advanced Training Institute, which includes three phases of carotid skills training, will introduce advanced endovascular skills courses in early 2006. Kim Hodgson, M.D., chair, Educational Council, reported on other educational initiatives that are currently underway. These include a partnership with UCLA on its fall review course, possible development of a vascular self-assessment program, and plans to fund travel for more medical students and residents to attend the Vascular Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, June 1-4, 2006. In 2005, more than 80 trainees received travel scholarships that enabled them to attend the Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Communications Committee reaches out to physicians and trainees. The SVS Communications Committee, formed in June 2005, is pursuing various initiatives to reach referring physicians, medical students and residents, current and prospective members, and the media. Committee Chair Bruce Perler, M.D., reported on projects that are currently underway, including a speakers' bureau, primary care physician outreach tools, and enhanced Web content for medical students and residents.

New features added to Journal of Vascular Surgery. The Society's peer-reviewed journal is making several changes that will enhance value to readers: (a)Starting in January 2006, readers can obtain Category 1 CME credit online by answering questions related to selected articles each month. (b) A new Clinical Update section features short, focused reviews. (c)As of January 2006, each article will include author roles. (d) Frequent reviewers now receive annual reports that include an editor's rating along with suggestions for improvement.

New award approved. The Board approved establishment of the Michael DeBakey Gold Medal for Innovation in Vascular Surgery. Information about the award will be available on VascularWeb, www.vascularweb.org.

Minutes from the SVS Board Meeting, including committee and budget reports, are also available on VascularWeb.