Abstract
Outstanding research in vascular medicine: Diane Treat-Jacobson
Diane Treat-Jacobson, PhD, RN, FAHA, MSVM, FAAN
Professor and Associate Dean for Research, Cora Meidl Siehl Chair in Nursing Research for Improved Care, University of Minnesota School of Nursing, Rochester, MN, USA
Dear Diane, we are honored to interview one of our outstanding scholars in vascular medicine! I have had the pleasure of working with you on a scientific statement, but I never had the chance to ask you: how did you get involved in vascular research and peripheral artery disease (PAD)?
I spent much of my early clinical practice and my PhD studies focused on coronary artery disease and patients who were undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. I was introduced to the vascular disease patient population shortly after completion of my PhD, when I took a position as coordinator of the newly funded multidisciplinary vascular center at the University of Minnesota. I became immersed in learning about and caring for patients with vascular diseases and then focused my interests on patients with PAD. I had been interested in quality of life outcomes in post-CABG patients and came to realize that understanding the impact of PAD on patients’ lives was understudied. My first research study was a qualitative study to determine the impact of PAD from the patient’s perspective. The themes from these patient interviews were published and subsequently translated into the PAD Quality of Life Questionnaire, which was validated and published in Vascular Medicine. 1 I was honored to be a part of the Steering Committee for the PARTNERS Program, and I came to appreciate the importance of early detection and the education of both patients and primary care providers about PAD, a battle we are still fighting. I also came to this field with an interest in exercise as an intervention to improve symptoms and quality of life in patients with cardiovascular disease, and I applied that interest to the PAD population. This launched my research in exploring different exercise modalities to improve symptoms in patients with PAD, which is ongoing.
You are an established and highly productive investigator. How has being a member of the Society helped you in your professional development, and what role does it play at your current career stage?
From the beginning of my involvement, I have felt welcomed in SVM. As a non-physician, I have gained substantial knowledge and appreciation of the clinical expertise of the members of this Society. I appreciated the years of my involvement on the Board of Trustees and all the other activities in which I have been engaged, but I most value the relationships with friends and colleagues that I have developed over the years. My focus now is introducing doctoral students and junior faculty to the Society. Seeing them thrive is immensely satisfying to me.
You have been an instrumental part of the growth of our Society. Can you tell us about its multidisciplinary identity and how this has contributed to the Society’s success?
In the more than 20 years since I have been a member of SVM, I have seen a significant evolution in the welcoming and participation of individuals from multiple disciplines. This has created a rich interprofessional environment that embraces multiple perspectives while maintaining its identity and vascular medicine expertise. As a nurse clinician and scientist, I appreciate the clinical and research knowledge made available through the Society and the opportunities for collaboration. It has been my experience that vascular Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) colleagues have benefited tremendously from their participation in the Society’s activities. The sessions on interprofessional teams at last year’s Scientific Sessions and the opportunity for APRNs and Physician Assistants to take the trainee review course are examples of how SVM is making changes to encourage interprofessional participation and collaboration. I also think that the inclusion of multiple disciplines has benefited and enlarged the world view of the physician members of SVM. A win-win!
Thanks to the hard work of senior members of our Society like you, the field of vascular medicine has grown in recognition at the academic level and in clinical practice. What are our next challenges and how do you envision the future of our Society in the rapidly evolving healthcare system?
As prevalence and awareness of the importance of vascular diseases grows, so too does the need and relevance of health professionals with vascular disease clinical and research expertise. Educating health professionals during their training is one strategy that could broaden awareness and knowledge about the care of the patient with vascular diseases. As an educator, I am acutely aware of the lack of vascular content that is provided in our nursing schools, and I believe the same is true in medical schools. SVM has the opportunity to play a significant role in producing and providing accurate educational content about optimal strategies to identify and treat patients with vascular diseases. I think the SVM (and other vascular-focused societies) could contribute to the education of health professional students by providing accurate, state-of-the-art educational content on a broad range of topics that are deemed to be most important.
Finally, how can we spark the fire in our youngest researchers and healthcare providers to form the next generation of vascular medicine specialists?
Continue to offer opportunities for junior scientists to present their work at the SVM Scientific Sessions. Develop deliberate opportunities for collaboration. Continue providing networking and mentorship opportunities. Continue to promote the establishment of vascular medicine as a specialty recognized by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). Advocate for continued funding of training programs to allow more promising clinicians and scientists to enter the pipeline.
Two of the newest SVM members: Julia Snyder and Samantha Rizzo
Julia Snyder, BS
Research Assistant II, Thrombosis Research Group, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
Dear Julia and Sam, we are delighted to interview two of the newest members of SVM! First of all, congratulations for submitting your abstracts to this year’s Scientific Session! Can you tell us your paths to working in the vascular medicine field and then joining our Society?
Thank you! I began working in the field of vascular medicine last February when I joined the Thrombosis Research Group (TRG) at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) as a research assistant. Before that, I worked in a research group within the BWH Department of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care. I graduated from Northeastern University, where I majored in Behavioral Neuroscience. I wanted to explore healthcare and clinical research after graduating from college and was excited to have the opportunity to work with investigators at BWH. After my project in general internal medicine ended, I was eager to learn about other areas of medicine and was introduced to Dr Gregory Piazza and the TRG. I joined TRG and began working on many vascular medicine projects. Joining SVM was a great next step in order to learn more about the field and connect with others in vascular medicine research.
I recently graduated from Colby College, where I was a neuro-psychology major and was following the pre-med track. I have always been interested in pursuing a medical degree, but I did not find my way to the vascular medicine field until my junior year of college, when I was diagnosed with bilateral pulmonary emboli during my soccer season. During my hospital stay and throughout the course of my treatment, I became very interested in learning about why I developed blood clots, how they could be treated, and what was being done to prevent venous thromboembolism (VTE) from occurring in other patient populations. Eager to learn more, I connected with Drs Sam Goldhaber and Greg Piazza and interned for the TRG. Now, as a full-time research assistant for TRG, I have had the opportunity to work on several research projects, and we had the chance to write and submit two abstracts to SVM this year.
Samantha Rizzo, BA
Research Assistant I, Thrombosis Research Group, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
You both have been very active and productive! What is the most appealing aspect of working in vascular research?
One of the most appealing aspects of working in vascular research is working in a growing field and in a discipline of medicine that affects so many people. Vascular medicine reaches diverse patient populations, and there are opportunities to work with and learn from a variety of other specialties. One area of research that I am involved with is thrombophilia-related recurrent pregnancy loss and infertility. At TRG we have been able to collaborate with obstetricians and reproductive endocrinologists to study this and ultimately improve pregnancy outcomes.
The most appealing part of working in vascular research is having the opportunity to collaborate with physicians and other healthcare professionals across several departments. We work very closely with doctors and other healthcare providers in many fields including neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and rheumatology. I also enjoy that we can conduct different types of studies in our area of research. Our group has conducted many clinical drug trials, but we also study VTE epidemiology and have several electronic decision support studies that are actively enrolling.
Vascular medicine is a very interdisciplinary specialty. Can you tell us your experiences at BWH and what you think is the strength of working with surgeons, radiologists, and providers from other fields?
The interdisciplinary nature of vascular medicine and many of our research projects is exciting. I think that collaboration is critical in healthcare and that includes research. We are lucky to have many amazing clinicians and researchers here at BWH, but sometimes it can be challenging to put collaborations into practice as many specialties are siloed within the large institution. It’s been a great learning experience, facilitating successful collaborations with other specialties such as cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, and obstetrics and gynecology. I believe these collaborations have strengthened our research group and the work that we do.
Many of the studies we conduct at TRG involve collaboration with physicians in other departments. A great example of the interdisciplinary nature of vascular medicine is the work our research team is doing with acute aortic syndromes (AAS). Within the last year, we have created an AAS database that enables us to track patients who present to our hospital with AAS and capture many important clinical outcomes. We have worked with vascular and cardiac surgeons, vascular imaging, and a series of other specialists including rheumatology, infectious disease, and neurology. Working with providers from several fields is essential for physicians to deliver complete, integrated care for patients with AAS. When specialists come together and discuss a patient’s case holistically, it will help the patient receive quality follow-up care and achieve successful outcomes.
What are your expectations of being part of the SVM?
I hope that being a part of the SVM will allow me to grow my knowledge of vascular medicine and take advantage of expanded educational opportunities. I also hope to make connections with other researchers in the field.
I am hoping that being a member of the SVM will help me stay up to date on advancements in vascular medicine research and broaden my knowledge of vascular issues. I think there will be further opportunities to present new research and network with other individuals who are interested in vascular medicine.
What do you think the Society can do to promote the professional development of young members like you?
I think the Society can promote professional development of young members by encouraging connection with others in the field as well as providing opportunities to share knowledge and develop research skills.
The Society could promote professional development of young members by communicating what different conferences and other learning opportunities exist for young investigators. Any chance for young members to meet and network with more experienced members would be very helpful.
