FROM THE COVER: VAM REVIEW

With more content presented than ever before, a family-friendly Wednesday night gathering, the inaugural Frank J. Veith Distinguished Lecture, a hugely successful gala and the vascular surgery community more than happy to be together, the 2023 Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM) was heralded as another big success.

“Overall, it was really well-received,” declared Andres Schanzer, MD, chair of the SVS Program Committee, which oversees the scientific content at the meeting. “People really enjoyed themselves,” he said.

“The quality and impact of the science was really high. It was diverse across the whole array of vascular surgery procedures and medical management.”

And, not only was the science and research continued from page 1 important, “but I think people really enjoyed the opportunity to connect with colleagues. People are enjoying interacting with each other in a meaningful way around vascular surgery,” Schanzer continued.

“And most importantly, we are being as inclusive as possible with the hope that our meeting participants look more like the patients we take care of.”

Some of the highlights of VAM 2023 by the numbers include:

● More than 800 abstracts submitted

● Fifty-two abstracts at eight plenaries

● Twenty-one educational sessions

● Four SVS special section sessions

● Hands-on learning for the Physician Assistant Section

● Five international sessions

● A total of 271 posters

● Eleven abstracts presented simultaneously with publication in the Journal of Vascular Surgery

● The move of officer voting into VAM’s first few days

This year’s meeting also included a number of new initiatives and events, which proved quite popular, Schanzer said.

Attendees enjoyed an opening night, family-friendly SVS Connect@VAM: Building Community party that was open to all, with food, games and activities. With a successful debut, it will return in 2024 and afterwards as an annual event, Schanzer said.

The inaugural Frank J. Veith Distinguished Lecture, announced at the close of VAM 2022—which focused on the results of the BEST-CLI trial—drew a healthy crowd, as caregivers and communities whom we serve, and they hold surgeons in such high regard, they are waiting for us to take a leadership role in galvanizing the resources and continuing to address the important issue of shaping a multi-dimensional, diverse healthcare workforce.”

Malachi Sheahan III on medical education and training… did several other BEST-CLI-focused content. sleep disruptions, insomnia, isolation, etc. Moral distress matters, which can intersect with burnout, and I am positive all of us feel this at some point.”

Organizers moved the championship round of the Poster Competition to the plenary room on Saturday morning, leading to a robust audience and more recognition for the 10 finalists.

Highlighting sessions that included topics related to diversity, equity and inclusion, plus including “invited discussants” for many of those sessions, also was well-received.

The Program Committee and Postgraduate Education Committee are reviewing the feedback obtained via the VAM 2023 evaluation, Schanzer said.

“So, if you have not completed the evaluation please do so no later than July 14. It is critical we hear from you so we can continue to meet your educational needs going forward,” he added.

Laura Marie Drudi on

burnout solutions…

This year’s E. Stanley Crawford Critical Issues Forum zeroed in on the pipeline of sources feeding the vascular surgery ranks. Incoming SVS President Joseph Mills, MD, assembled an expert panel to look at many of the key issues at the heart of efforts to address workforce-related concerns.

The panel captured three main areas of focus: the root sources of future vascular surgeons, the existing workforce, and the distribution of that workforce. Lee Kirksey, MD, from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, looked at outreach to high school and college students and Malachi Sheahan III, MD, from Louisiana State University in New Orleans, dealt with efforts to attract medical students and residents in training. Dawn M. Coleman, MD, from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, addressed vascular surgeon wellness, followed by Laura Marie Drudi, MD, from Centre Hospitalier de l’Universite de Montreal in Canada, on burnout solutions. The panel was rounded out by former SVS President Michel S. Makaroun, MD, on workforce supply or maldistribution, and Peter R. Nelson, MD, from the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa, on measures to improve the workforce crisis.

Lee Kirksey on the early years…

“Not everyone is capable of, or wants, to be a physician. I know it’s hard for us in this room to believe that, but not everyone wants to be a physician or vascular surgeon. However, there is a broad range of healthcare ecosystem jobs that provide family-sustaining wages and opportunities for a rewarding career. Much investigation is needed to better understand the student- and familyperceived barriers in pursuing health science careers. We think we know, but when we talk to parents we actually are probably missing the point. And in every community, whether it is urban, indigenous American, rural, White, Black or brown, there are motivated

“It is time to establish ourselves as the expert on vascular disease at the medical school level. If we don’t, there are other specialties very interested. In a [2016] editorial by the leaders of the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, they say they need an American Board of Internal Medicine-certified specialty focused on patients with peripheral arterial disease [PAD] because their care has been undermined. So if we don’t establish ourselves as the expert, other people will.”

Dawn M. Coleman on surgeon wellness…

“Physician burnout is a public health crisis. Frankly, it is a workforce crisis for us. It is a chronic condition in which your perceived demands outweigh perceived resources. There are staggering personal and professional repercussions of physician burnout. In 2019, burnout was reclassified as an occupational phenomenon by the ICD-11 classification of diseases. And there are also staggering personal and professional ramifications that are associated with work-related stress—which is a precursor for burnout—that have really impressive medical sequelae, including cognitive dysfunction, increased risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, fertility challenges,

“Addressing physician burnout and well-being requires a multi-level, multi-pronged approach that involves both individual and organizational factors. Although burnout is rooted in the environment and systems in which we work, I do believe we have to first turn inwards to fill our own cup before we serve others. For those of you who are experiencing burnout and feel isolated, you’re not alone. Through support, connection and engagement, I am confident we will make progress in this space together.”

Michel S. Makaroun on workforce supply…

“In the last three years, approximately 170 vascular certificates have been issued every year, but we are still far behind the interventional radiologists and interventional cardiologists. So, is the funnel looking a little bit better? It is. We are now producing about 58 new vascular surgeons per year, but it is still inadequate. I will leave with you with this statement from a paper about the county-level maldistribution. ‘Although encouraging vascular surgeons to practice in underserved areas would be an ideal solution, it is not pragmatic.’ Developing alternatives is essential to get new methods of providing vascular care to geographically isolated populations.”

Peter R. Nelson on prophylactic measures to address the workforce crisis…

“We really need to work toward regional systems for efficient education, communication and delivery of multidisciplinary team healthcare. Patients want access to vascular healthcare close to home. They don’t want to come to Tulsa or Oklahoma City to get care. Vascular surgeons can and should lead in these efforts by recruiting vascular surgeons to work in these underserved areas with support from the tertiary referral centers—but, more importantly, to think broadly of how we define workforce, empower other physicians who are already in those communities—primary care providers, podiatrists, general surgeons, cardiologists—to feel more comfortable and confident taking care of vascular disease.” Bryan

Kay