Dr. Julius Jacobson Honored for Exceptional Commitment to AVA

The American Vascular Association (AVA) wishes to acknowledge Dr. Julius Jacobson and his wife, Joan, for their generous support. Twenty years ago they established an endowment fund with a gift of $500,000 to underwrite the annual Research Initiatives in Vascular Disease Conferences.

"While many in the vascular surgery research community may not know of the Jacobsons' crucial contribution, it has been absolutely essential in placing vascular surgery squarely in the NHLBI's vision," said Dr. Larry Kraiss, MD, University of Utah Medical Center.

"It could be argued that without Research Initiatives, the subsequent successful career development collaborations between the AVA and the NHLBI would never have materialized. The vascular surgical community owes a debt of gratitude to the Jacobsons that is difficult to measure but is clearly large."

'THE VASCULAR COMMUNITY OWES A DEBT OF GRATITUDE TO THE JACOBSONS.'

The Research Initiatives Annual Conference assembles vascular surgeons, basic scientists, and clinical scientists from other disciplines for a multidisciplinary exchange of information and ideas in vascular disease research and patient care. It is the only research meeting sponsored jointly by the National Institutes of Health and a surgical society. An important aspect of the conference is to stimulate interest in research and academic careers among vascular surgery fellow and surgery residents who are especially invited to attend. The final freestanding conference funded by the Jacobson endowment was held in April 2008.

Dr. Jacobson is Director Emeritus of Vascular Surgery and Distinguished Service Professor of Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. He is widely renowned as the inventor of microsurgery. His medical paper on microsurgery has been called the most important of the 20th century.

For information about making a contribution to AVA, e-mail ava@vascularsociety.org or visit VascularWeb.org.