Abstract
Meeting highlights
The 35th Annual Vascular Scientific Sessions presented by the Society for Vascular Medicine (SVM’s VSS2024) was held in Houston at the Marriott Marquis from September 19 to 22, 2024. I had the honor and pleasure of serving as Program Chair for the meeting, which was a fantastic whirlwind of a weekend with high-quality science, clinically relevant content, a Texas-shaped lazy river, and the most attendees of any conference in the history of SVM.
The meeting statistics are striking. We had 358 registered attendees plus 82 attendees from our industry partners for a total of
Houston is a great place for a conference. It is the fourth largest and most diverse city in the United States, with 145 languages and over 10,000 restaurants. Lucky for us, it is also the location of the Texas Medical Center, the largest life sciences destination in the world with over 60 medical institutions. At VSS2024, we had world-renowned speakers from several major Houston medical centers including Baylor, Texas Heart, Houston Methodist, the University of Texas Health Science Center, and MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC).
On Thursday after the committee meetings, Drs Aaron Aday and Alexandra Solomon hosted Speed Mentoring, which was engaging for both the mentors and the mentees. The title this year was ‘We Have Liftoff! Successfully Launching Your Vascular Medicine Career.’ Each table had a space theme, such as ‘Refueling: Finding Joy & Equilibrium in Life’ and ‘The Eagle Has Landed: Finding Your Niche.’ The SVM committee chairs and leaders then let loose a bit on the Impact Party Deck at the Astros game.
On Friday morning, Drs Ana Casanegra and Marc Bonaca kicked off the official scientific sessions with the ever-popular Year in Review, followed by four excellent Jay D Coffman Young Investigator Award (YIA) presentations. The prize went to Lingfeng Luo, PhD for his presentation entitled ‘The Interdependence Between Cancer and Atherosclerosis.’ His presentation was a perfect segue into SVM’s first Vascular Oncology session led by Dr Nick Leeper. We had outstanding local luminaries from MDACC as well as the legendary Dr Alok Khorana (of Khorana Score fame).
A huge thanks to Drs Yogen Kanthi and Tammy Polonsky for chairing the Abstract Selection Committee, an enormous task because we broke another record for the highest number of abstract submissions. All accepted abstracts were published in VMJ.1,2 This science was showcased in several ways. We had 154 printed posters at the poster session, four YIA finalists, four moderated posters with oral presentations during the poster session, and four oral case presentations during Cases on the Rocks. We added a new feature this year with ‘embedded abstracts’: we had 12 oral abstracts presented on the main stage to highlight the cutting-edge science relevant to the specific session topic. For example, during the session entitled ‘Venous Disease, Compression, and Wound Care 101,’ Dr Harish Eswaran from UNC-Chapel Hill presented his abstract ‘Livedoid Vasculopathy Evaluation in Hemoglobinopathy-Associated Chronic Ulcers.’ These embedded abstracts gave early-career investigators an opportunity to present their research with the mentorship of the meeting faculty and session chairs. Congratulations to all the presenters on their amazing work.
Other Friday events included the Hypertension Workshop led by Dr Eric Secemsky and Dr Anna Krawisz. Dr Gaurav Parmar organized his THIRD packed point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) session. The highlight of the afternoon was the outstanding Keynote Address from Houston’s own Dr Dianna Milewicz (‘Decoding ACTA2: How do ACTA2 Missense Variants Lead to Aortic Dissection, Early-Onset Atherosclerosis, and Moyamoya Disease?’). The evening concluded with one of our most popular sessions, ‘Cases on the Rocks’ (formerly known as ‘Cases over Cocktails’), organized by Dr Ana Casanegra. We had two of SVM’s Past Presidents on the stage – Drs Thom Rooke and Jim Froehlich – with Drs Casanegra and Eri Fukaya as moderators in the audience.
Saturday opened with the SVM Business Meeting and Presidential Year in Review. Bylaws changes were approved by the membership, which included adding the new International Membership category, changing the officer terms to 1 year (in keeping with other cardiovascular societies), and expanding the SVM Board of Trustees. I updated the membership on the accomplishments of the SVM committees who have been quite busy and productive over the past year. Past President Dr Herb Aronow convened the elections, and I am delighted to report the following stars of vascular medicine were elected to the SVM Board of Trustees: Jay Bishop, MD, FSVM; Ana I Casanegra, MD, MS, RPVI, FSVM; Kamal Gupta, MD, FSVM; and Bryan J Wells, MD, FSVM. For the next year, I will serve as SVM President, with Dr Esther Kim as President-Elect and VSS2025 Program Chair, Dr Aditya Sharma as Treasurer, and Dr Daniella Kadian-Dodov as Secretary. During the Business Meeting, Drs Teresa Carman and Josh Beckman presented critical updates on the future of the vascular medicine board examination and on specialty recognition.
Dr Mary McDermott chaired the session Updates in Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) and Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia (CLTI). Several sessions had ‘Spotlight Speakers,’ who delivered their lectures in a TED-Talk format on a special stage, an enduring VSS concept developed by Dr Ido Weinberg. Dr Beckman was the perfect PAD/CLTI Spotlight Speaker, and he discussed exercise versus revascularization for PAD. Dr Heather Gornik was able to distill the PAD guidelines into 10 minutes, a heroic task. We also heard about the aorta with session chair Dr Kamal Gupta, and Vascular Disease in Women with session chair Dr Stan Henkin. We had the Swollen Leg Symposium in the afternoon, under the stellar leadership of Dr Fukaya. Didactics focused on lymphedema, lipedema, venous disease, compression, and wound care, and then we moved to a fantastic breakout session to put the knowledge into practice with hands-on demonstrations.
Saturday afternoon wrapped up with Current and Future Pharmacologic Treatment of Lipids, Diabetes, and Obesity (chaired by Dr Maya Salameh), providing practical and clinically relevant content for all who practice vascular medicine. The final treat was Vascular Jeopardy, which has been my favorite VSS session for as long as I can remember. The dynamic duo of Dr Gaurav Parmar and Dr Mitch Weinberg were fabulous hosts. Congratulations to our winner, Dr Esther Kim.
On Sunday, after the 3rd Annual 5K Fun Run/Walk in memory of SVM Past-President Dr William Hiatt, we dove into Thrombosis (chaired by Dr Jay Bishop) followed by Clinical Management of Acute and Chronic Pulmonary Embolism (chaired by Dr Vlad Lakhter). Dr Natalia Fendrikova-Mahlay closed VSS2024 with a stellar session called Vascular Lab: The New Frontiers, including a lecture about the use of POCUS in space.
I would like to thank our fabulous team at Veritas. VSS2024 would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of Sandy Addison, Marty Roth, Jennifer Fitzgerald, Ryan O’Sullivan, Bethany Radke, Christine Rataj, Jake Bolling, Michelle O’Connor, Beth DeMars, and Brittany Tommelein.
To stay in the SVM loop, please subscribe to all our social media channels, including X (@SVM_tweets), LinkedIn, and YouTube, and keep your eyes out for Dr Sneha Thomas, our tireless Director of Digital Marketing.
I hope you had a blast in Houston at VSS2024, and I look forward to seeing you in Philadelphia in 2025!
2024 Society for Vascular Medicine Award recipients
Jess R Young Outstanding Vascular Medicine Educator Award
University Hospitals Heart & Vascular Institute, Cleveland, OH
Master of the Society for Vascular Medicine (MSVM) Designation
Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI; Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Jay D Coffman Young Investigator Award
Stanford University, Stanford, CA
The interdependence between cancer and atherosclerosis
Mark A Creager Prize for Research Excellence
1University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY; 2Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA; 3Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA; 4Boston University Medical Center, Boston, MA; 5National Jewish Health, Denver, CO; 6American Heart Association, Dallas, TX.
Association of electronic cigarette use with circulating angiogenic cell levels in healthy young adults: Evidence for chronic systemic injury
Vasc Med 2023; 28: 18–27.
Alan T Hirsch Travel Award recipients
Donations from 2023 Giving Tuesday helped fund the Alan T Hirsch Travel Awards, which provided complimentary VSS2024 registration for 23 recipients. Reflections from some of the award recipients are included below.
‘As someone whose interest in vascular medicine started after college as a research assistant, the opportunity to learn from the experts who have inspired me over the years was truly a full circle moment. The hands-on POCUS session, sessions on thrombosis, and the opportunity to network with others in the field were some of my highlights of the conference. I feel fortunate to have met so many members and truly feel the support from the SVM community. I look forward to continuing my education in vascular medicine and am excited to see you all at the VSS2025 in Philadelphia next year!’ – Ivka Stimach, DO, Cleveland, OH
‘Attending VSS2024 was a remarkable opportunity for me to engage with the exciting field of vascular medicine. Throughout the conference, I had the pleasure of connecting with many fellow researchers, and I look forward to potential future collaborations. Presenting my work was a rewarding experience, and I greatly appreciated learning from the outstanding presentations by many experts in the field. My goal is to grow professionally within this esteemed society and contribute to the research published in the Vascular Medicine journal. I am excited about future events organized by SVM!’ – Giovanni Scimeca, MD, Boston, MA
‘Attending VSS2024 has been an eye-opening educational experience! During the last few days, I’ve learned so much from leading vascular medicine providers on the management of complex patients with vascular disease. The talks on novel approaches, cutting edge research, and evidence-based treatment recommendations were a textbook-worth of practical clinical gems! As a first-time attendee, I was also provided the opportunity to meet with the wonderful Dr Polonsky who shared her journey to vascular medicine with me and helped make my first time at VSS a blast!’ – Lois Owolabi, Boston, MA
‘Receiving the Travel Award and attending the VSS2024 provided me with a pivotal opportunity for professional development by allowing me to engage with leading experts, gain access to the latest research, and expand my clinical skills to better serve patients with vascular disease. As a current vascular medicine fellow at the University of Virginia, the meeting provided me with a platform to share my own work. I gained ample knowledge related to the latest advancements in vascular medicine and also had an opportunity for POCUS skill development, crucial for my continued success as a vascular medicine provider regularly encountering complex cases requiring specialized management. Lastly, having meaningful interactions with fellow vascular medicine professionals has been particularly impactful for an early career physician and vascular medicine trainee such as myself, allowing for collaborations that could lead to improvements in patient care strategies and joint research initiatives. I am sincerely grateful to the SVM for their ongoing support of vascular medicine trainees.’ – Shiavax J Rao, MD, Charlottesville, VA
‘Attending VSS2024 in Houston has been a valuable experience in my career as a vascular medicine specialist. This conference provides a unique opportunity to engage with highly skilled experts in the field and stay up to date on the latest developments. The high-quality presentations, discussions, and interactive sessions offered insights into cutting-edge treatments and research directions, covering a diverse array of topics. I particularly valued the PAD session, which focused on the new 2024 ACC/AHA PAD guidelines, treatment of CLTI and claudication and addressing disparities in the field. A special highlight was the 5K run held in memory of Dr Hiatt, which added a meaningful and personal touch to the event. Attending the VSS has been extremely valuable for staying current with the rapidly evolving landscape of vascular medicine, incorporating new knowledge into my practice, and connecting with specialists and leaders in the field.’ – Sivan Naveh, MD, Denver, CO
‘As a first-time attendee at the SVM VSS, I left with a deeper understanding of vascular medicine practice and a sense of belonging. The annual meeting offered a variety of informative sessions, from vascular oncology to vascular disease in women, and all the way to thrombosis management. We heard spotlight presentations and abstract reviews from a variety of specialists including cardiologists, hematologists, a pulmonologist, and a hepatologist. There was hardly an organ left un-represented. As guideline updates were reviewed and results from clinical trials were analyzed, a common theme across sessions was a call for collaboration across disciplines with the common interest to do what is best by/for the patient. As a pharmacist myself, I found this message very encouraging and motivational – there are many opportunities for pharmacists to get involved in vascular medicine practice, and simply knowing the ins and outs of medications is just the start. I feel like SVM did a great job at fostering individual growth and provided great opportunities for networking. In the years to come, I look forward to joining future VSS to hear from other practitioners and clinical staff, including providers as well as APPs, pharmacists, and nurses.’ – Lauren Lam, PharmD, Charlottesville, VA
‘I would like to first thank you for the opportunity to offer registration to a congress of such magnitude. The scholarship for professionals in training represents a great economic contribution (in the case of my country, Argentina) and helps in being able to update oneself in vascular medicine topics and to interact with other medical professionals. I would also like to highlight the warmth with which those in charge of registrations, emails, and congress reminders invited everyone to participate and follow the program both before and during the congress. I appreciate the opportunity and we will continue in the following years trying to participate in the activities of the Society.’ – Sebastián Ghibaudo, MD, Buenos Aires, Argentina
‘Attending VSS2024 in Houston was a transformative experience for my professional growth. I had the opportunity to learn about the latest guidelines in vascular medicine, which significantly expanded my understanding of evidence-based practices. These new insights have already begun to enhance my clinical decision-making, ensuring that my patients receive care aligned with the most current research and recommendations. In addition to the educational benefits, I met several colleagues with whom I hope to collaborate in the future. Their diverse perspectives on patient care and innovative approaches to vascular medicine were inspiring. These connections are likely to foster meaningful partnerships that could lead to new projects and joint efforts in improving vascular health outcomes. Perhaps most importantly, I was fortunate to connect with mentors who are leaders in the field. Their guidance will be invaluable as I navigate my career in vascular medicine. The advice I received has already influenced how I approach both clinical and research challenges, and I am excited to continue learning from their expertise.’ – Valentine Nriagu, MD, MPH, Brooklyn, NY
