NESVS President
Bauer E. Sumpio, MD
Yale University School of Medicine
New Haven, CT
After the October Nor’easter, New England has been blessed/cursed with a relatively mild winter so far. It is an opportune time to reflect on the success of our 38th Annual Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island last September.
Despite the challenges of the current economic climate, the Annual Meeting attracted an attendance of 186 members and guests. The scientific program was superbly organized by our Program Committee, chaired by Sean Roddy, with spirited discussions of the papers and case reports attesting to the relevance and timeliness of the abstracts chosen. We should be proud that our scientific program continues to be one of the strongest and most competitive among the regional vascular societies. Our Recorder, Mark Fillinger, reported that our JVS manuscript acceptance rate approaches 80%! The postgraduate course arranged by Marc Schermerhorn on the topic of the Vascular Lab was equally outstanding. Having Frank Miele participate in the course made the drudgery of the physics of ultrasound halfway tolerable and was a wonderful preparation for our members and fellows for the RPVI examination.
Past President Frank LoGerfo delivered the Robert R. Linton Distinguished Address and gave everyone a superb overview of “The Biology of Vascular Injury,” providing fascinating insights into what current and future research strategies can deliver. I congratulate our immediate past-president, Frank Pomposelli, on his Presidential Address “An Ounce of Prevention” which was complemented by the Distinguished Address delivered by Glenn Steele, focused on the delivery of cost effective quality care with his lecture entitled “Re-Engineering Systems of Care - Surgical Leadership.” The Issues Panel Luncheon, chaired by Allen Hamdan, continued on this theme with a wonderful line up of credible speakers that discussed the potential impact of healthcare reform on vascular surgeons.
Under the oversight of the Executive Council, our organization is financially sound, our membership remains stable and attendance at our Annual Meetings consistently high. Several years ago, efforts to introduce residents and medical students to the benefits of vascular surgery led to an initiative that provided financial support for them to attend our Annual Meeting. This past meeting in Providence, another record number of residents and students were in attendance and participated in educational programs organized by Bob Gallagher, including the highly successful and entertaining Professor’s Rounds and cocktail reception.
The Annual Meeting will return to Boston at the Seaport Hotel & Trade Center, September 21-23, 2012. This South Boston waterfront has undergone an aggressive redevelopment with a number of new restaurants and retail businesses opening. Please set aside time now to attend this meeting and enjoy Boston. The Executive Council is working hard to make this another valued gathering in terms of the scientific program, postgraduate course and the social events. Under the leadership of Daniel Bertges, the Program Committee is working to prepare an excellent program incorporating suggestions made in the evaluation forms of prior meetings. Please do not forget to submit your abstracts by Wednesday May 2, 2012 for consideration.
Finally, I wish to convey my gratitude for the honor of serving as your President. There is no greater reward than being recognized by one’s peers. I am very pleased to have the opportunity to work on your behalf and look forward to thanking you personally in Boston in September.