What's Circulating

Learn more about Long Beach, California! Dining, shopping, local attractions and special discounts for SVM attendees -- all on this special website!

And in case that's not enough reason to register for the meeting, watch this one-minute video and we'll give you five reasons to attend!

SVM Elections!

Elections will be held for three seats on the SVM Board of Trustees:

• Naomi Hamburg - for a second two-year term as a trustee-at-large.
• Maria Teresa Abola - for a two-year term as a trustee-at-large.
• G. Jay Bishop - for a two-year term as a trustee-at-large.

The election will be held during the annual business meeting breakfast on Saturday, June 18, at the SVM Annual Scientific Sessions. Don’t miss this important election in SVM’s future.

We asked Drs. Abola, Bishop and Hamburg to tell us more about how they would like to see SVM change in the next two to four years and what they hope to bring to SVM. Here are their answers:

Maria Teresa Abola

How would you like to see SVM change in the next 2-4 years? 
Creation of “Councils” under the SVM that will be more focused on promoting research/develop consensus statements/CPGs: Council on PAD, Council on VTE, Council on Aortic Disease, Council on Vasculitides, Council on Women and Vascular Disease …
SVM-co-sponsored “small" educational fora in other countries in cooperation with local societies (like ISTH holds their educational fora in chosen developing countries)
New Features during the SVM annual meeting:
 a. Feature “mini” Joint society symposia during the annual meeting (2-hour-symposium) i.e., Joint SVM-ESVM (European) symposium, Joint SVM-Japanese College of Angiology, etc., inviting speakers from the respective societies to give talks on agreed topics...
 b. I would like to see more trainees involved in the annual meeting program, maybe, through debates between current vascular medicine fellows-in-training from different vascular medicine training centers on selected topics, i.e. European angiology programs, U.S. training programs, Asian programs...during the SVM meeting or in other fora/venues
Offer lower society annual membership dues and meeting registration fees for members from developing countries

What do you hope to bring to SVM?
I would like to help develop a “trans-pacific society" collaboration or consensus statement on the diagnosis and management of peripheral vascular diseases between the SVM and other Asian vascular societies.
I can help coordinate collaborative meetings between SVM and other vascular societies, especially in Asia, to help increase awareness about vascular diseases and their appropriate diagnosis and management

G. Jay Bishop

How would you like to see SVM change in the next 2-4 years?
I think we have a pivotal role in both primary and secondary prevention, and would like to see us leading the charge in educating both primary care and specialty providers to maximize the value of robust prevention strategies. I would like to see us as the premier “atherosclerosis early detection and management” specialty group, and provide templates for outcomes data to providers, hospitals, and insurers regarding the importance of comprehensive atherosclerosis management. It is important for insurers including Medicare to see our specialty as the champions for optimal vascular care and be involved in discussions regarding value, payment bundling, and outcomes data. I would like to continue our high level advocacy for our unique profession to the ABIM to be recognized as the specialty of Vascular Medicine. This would help overcome some of the obstacles with insurers and health care systems that are present for Vascular Medicine providers who are in systems or locations not familiar with the specialty. We need to continue to educate the public as well as primary care and specialty providers regarding the role and value of the Vascular Medicine specialists.

What do you hope to bring to the SVM?
I hope to bring a real passion for clinical Vascular Medicine to the Board of Trustees and provide a perspective from a primary care physician who transitioned into a vascular specialist well into his medical career. I have also had over 15 years’ experience with an Integrated Delivery System in my role as Medical Director. I think this would be helpful in promoting Vascular Medicine to be at the forefront regarding cardiovascular population based disease management. I hope to bring my enthusiasm for our Society, and hopefully continue to carry the banner for Vascular Medicine and represent the unique specialty that it represents. I would like to continue to work with leaders within the SVM to make our Annual Session the best vascular meeting possible, and continue to provide such great exposure to the latest and greatest in the field.

Naomi Hamburg

How would you like to see SVM change in the next 2-4 years?
The SVM is my professional home filled with colleagues and friends dedicated to improving our understanding and care of patients with vascular diseases. Each year at scientific sessions, the breadth of knowledge is outstanding. Yet, awareness of vascular diseases remains low among both providers and the public. A key goal of SVM is to expand our educational reach through multiple projects including a website redesign, increasing the impact of the VM journal, and re-creating the review course. A second goal is fostering connections with other vascular-focused organizations to create shared expertise. Finally, the SVM serves as a central resource for early career clinicians and investigators interested in establishing vascular research and training programs.

What do you hope to bring to the SVM?
For the past 15 years, my academic practice has been centered on translational vascular medicine. As an SVM board member, my focus has been on the area of publications through serving as an associate editor of the Vascular Medicine journal and leading a new Publications Committee that is in the process of generating SVM based scientific statements. I look forward to continuing this work through continued service on the SVM board and collaborations with the SVM community.

SVM Case Study – New Cases

The SVM Interactive Case Study has made a resurgence in recent months. Under the leadership of Esther Kim, MD, FSVM, the Website Committee has recommitted and re-energized this exciting part of the SVM website. The cases are designed to challenge and intrigue. Check out the cases – and test your knowledge against your colleagues!

• February
  SVM Image Challenge
• April
  A 68-year-old man with a large neck mass after a re-do AVR
• May
  20-year-old female with intermittent abdominal pain

Check out the Case Study Archives -- which are available by date or topic -- to see all past cases!

Contribute Your Own Case
Do you have an interesting or unusual case to share? We would love to see it. Read the submission guidelines, write up your case, and send -- with images -- it to Patricia Sullivan at SVM headquarters (psullivan@vascularmed.org). Your case will be reviewed and if accepted, it could be featured on the SVM website!

SVM Holds 2nd Fellows Course in Clinical Vascular Medicine

For the second time, SVM is holding a State-of-the-art Review in Clinical Vascular Medicine. This year the course is June 16-17 at the Westin Long Beach in Long Beach, California. Course Co-Directors Raghu Kolluri, MD, RVT, FSVM, and Ido Weinberg, MD, MSc, MHA, FSVM, have designed this two-day intensive course for fellows from general cardiology, interventional cardiology, vascular medicine, interventional vascular medicine, interventional radiology and vascular surgery disciplines.

With world-renowned faculty at the lectern, this Fellows Course will provide a foundation in non-invasive vascular medicine. This course will be a resource that can prepare participants to properly identify, diagnose and treat patients with vascular disease, before, during and after vascular intervention or surgery.

Topics will cover pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis, peripheral artery disease, other vascular diseases of renal artery, carotid artery and mesenteric artery; ulcers and wound care, aneurysms, lipedema, lymphedema and orphan diseases in vascular medicine. Sessions, including lectures, case discussions and practical hands-on activities, will provide much-needed education and training by experts and leaders in the field of vascular medicine. This course will specifically highlight Clinical Decision Making in vascular disease management. Read more.

Welcome to SVM's New Members

SVM is pleased to welcome our new members. If you recognize a colleague or friend below, please be sure to welcome them to SVM!

Aaron Aday, MD, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Derer Albashaireh, MD, Tulane Heart & Vascular Institute
Ashraf Alqaqa, MD, Tennova Healthcare & Volunteer Hospital
Richard  Berenstein, MD, NYU Medical Center
Marcello Borzatta, MD, Okaloosa Heart and Vascular Center
Fahd Chaudry, MD, Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia
Barbra Destajo, MD, Cebu Velez General Hospital, Philippines
Theresa DeVeaux, RN, ACNP, MS, CCRN, Vascular Center, University of Maryland, Washington Medical Center
Angela Diamond, MD, The Doctors Clinic, Salmon Medical Center
Mehlar El-Hamadani, MD, Marshall University
Phillip Erwin, MD, Cleveland Clinic
Judith Goldfinger, MD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Cardiology
Georges Hajj, MD, Unity Point Clinic Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Institute
Vernon Heazlewood, MBBS, MSc, University of Queensland
Stanislav Henkin, MD, MPH, Mayo Clinic
Joann Journigan, MD, Texas Health Physicians Group
Amir Kaykha, MD, Amir Kaykha MD Inc.
Namee Kim, MD, Scripps Clinic
Ruya Li, PhD, University of California
Nanct  Nguyen, MD, Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Saeed Payvar, MS, Novart Health Cardiology
Richard Petrella, MD, UPMC, Hamot Medical Center
John Paul Runyon, MD, Consultant
Prabhdeep Sethi, MD, Southland Cardiology Medical Group
Rathnakara  Sherigar, MD, VA Medical Center, Salem & Carillon Clinic
Neerav Sheth, MD, MBA, Cardiovascular Associates - Bayview Physicians Group
John Paul Shumway, MD, Baylor College of Medicine
Gagan Singh, MD, UC Davis Medical Center
Felix Trinh, MD, Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Amy Tucker, MD, University of Virginia Health
Christopher Varughese, MD, Heart and Vascular Care of New York
Matthew Walsworth, MD, West Los Angeles VA Medical Center
Jared Wilkinson, MD, University of Michigan

IAC Introduces QI Self-Assessment Tool

The Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) has launched its IAC QI Self-Assessment Tool.  Created to help facilities employ and document continuous process improvement, the new quality improvement (QI) tool provides a mechanism for meeting the quality measures required by each IAC diagnostic imaging accreditation program (Vascular Testing, Echocardiography, Nuclear/PET, MRI and CT).

“Our goal with the new IAC QI Self-Assessment Tool is to encourage facilities to think critically about their work quality and to continuously identify opportunities for improvement,” said Craig Fleishman, MD, FACC, FASE, IAC Echocardiography Board member and IAC QI Committee member. The tool was designed to engage facilities by providing an easy-to-use mechanism to perform and document ongoing quality improvement efforts, he said.

The QI tool is a new feature of IAC Online Accreditation and provides participating facilities with a data-driven, objective measure of their QI progress for use in complying with the IAC Standards and Guidelines for Accreditation and fulfilling a variety of facility quality initiatives. Over time, facilities will be able to benchmark their findings both internally and with the imaging community as a whole.

“The initial feedback gained through the pilot process and from first users has been extremely positive,” said IAC CEO Mary Lally, MS, CAE. “IAC is proud to make this tool available to the diagnostic imaging community, as part of our ongoing mission of improving health care through accreditation.”
Using the new IAC QI tool, facilities self-assess their own imaging studies and receive a quantitative report that targets opportunities for improvements, leading to enhanced patient care. Visit the IAC website at intersocietal.org/QItool to learn more about this exciting new IAC innovation, including a webcast providing a detailed tutorial for users. Learn more.

Getting Social with SVM

SVM recently formed a Social Media Subcommittee to identify and optimize our society’s social reach to current and potential members as well as dialogue with like-minded societies. Chaired by Anne Albers, subcommittee members are Joddi Neff, Geoff Barnes, Aditya Sharma, Natalie Evans, Esther Kim, and Patricia Sullivan. The Social Media Subcommittee has drafted an initial charter in line with the mission of SVM and current SVM guidelines for online society representation. 

Goals for the social media subcommittee include growing SVM presence on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, as well as considering Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest and some of the many other available venues!  SVM members who are social or curious about opportunities on social media are invited to contribute.

Check out SVM on Social Media:

	Twitter @SVM_Tweets #SVM2016		YouTube
	Facebook		LinkedIn

Free Resume Posting and Discounts on Job Ads

SVM Members can post their resumes for free on the Job Bank and get a $100 discount when they post ads on the SVM Job Bank. Visit the SVM Job Bank to post your job or to learn more.