President's Message

I’m very excited about plans for the Eastern Vascular Society’s 23rd Annual Meeting. The meeting will be held September 24-26, 2009 in historic Philadelphia at the Loews Hotel. The meeting has been designed to provide topics of interest to all vascular surgeons in clinical and private practice.

The Eastern Vascular Society is the largest regional vascular society in the US with over 575 members who are primarily vascular surgeons representing both major academic medical centers and community hospitals in the Eastern part of the US and Canada. The Society continues to increase participation among young surgeons and allied health professionals from our vascular community. Attendance at our national meeting meets or surpasses attendance of any other regional society in the United States, and the meeting continues to be vibrant and introduce new techniques and ideas.

The 2009 Annual Meeting commences with the Non-Invasive Vascular Laboratory Course, moderated by Dr. Alan M. Dietzek that will feature sessions on Arterial Diagnosis, Financial and Administrative Aspects of the Vascular Lab, Screening Programs, Venous Diagnosis, and Duplex Guided Procedures. Please invite your vascular technologists, lab managers, nurses, and other allied health professionals to attend.

Dr. Brajesh Lal and the Young Surgeons Committee are again working to plan the Mock Oral Exam program for vascular fellows. This program has been very well received among the fellows and the vascular surgeons who give the exam. It has become an integral part of our program and we hope that you will encourage your fellows to take advantage of the program and become active participants in the Eastern Vascular Society. The Young Surgeons Committee is continuing with the Resident and Student Awards. Winners will be announced soon.

As usual, the Program Committee, chaired by Dr. Sean Roddy, has organized an outstanding Scientific Program to include Basic Science and Case Presentation sessions, and the annual oral poster session. For a copy of the Preliminary Program and other information, please visit the Annual Meeting page.

We will continue with the Endovascular Session on Thursday afternoon, which will be moderated by Dr. Matthew J. Dougherty. Thoracic aortic pathology, management of endoleaks, use of stents and covered stents in treatment of infrainguinal occlusive disease, and endovascular treatment for chronic mesenteric ischemia are some of the topics to be discussed.

Dr. Theresa M. Impeduglia, Chair of the Issues Committee, will moderate a very interesting 2009 Issues session that will focus on the Changing Practice Patterns in Vascular Surgery: Outpatient Procedure Phenomenon. This session will address the shifting patterns of vascular interventions from the hospital setting to the out-patient arena, which has important practice and financial implications.

Also this year we will be having a new program entitled Vascular Jeopardy which will include Question and Answer Session with audience participation to be moderated by Drs. Michel S. Makaroun and Alan M. Dietzek on Friday afternoon. This session will be held concomitantly during a Wine Tasting Reception, which should make the session particularly appealing.

Our social program will culminate with a dinner at the Franklin Institute in Center City Philadelphia Friday evening.

I look forward to welcoming you to Philadelphia in September for a very exciting meeting!

Keith D. Calligaro, MD
2008-2009 President