History - Vascular & Endovascular Surgery Society (VESS)

About VESS: History

Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society

The Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society (formerly the Peripheral Vascular Surgery Society) was founded in 1976 as a national forum for young fellowship-trained peripheral vascular surgeons. From a modest beginning as the Peripheral Vascular Surgery Club, it has grown from an original 19 to over 1000 Active, Senior & Candidate members. It remains, however, the only national vascular organization that requires specific fellowship training in general vascular surgery as a prerequisite for membership. To ensure the Society’s commitment to the young vascular surgeon, active members must become senior members after 15 years. Both active and senior members are urged to attend and participate in the Annual Winter Meeting as well as the Spring Meeting held the day preceding the Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM).

Surgical specialties and the organizations that represent them arise to fill a need. In the early 1970’s, a need arose for surgeons specifically trained in the diagnosis, non-operative and operative management of peripheral vascular disorders. As these trainees emerged from fellowship programs throughout the country, the additional need arose to provide a national forum through which these young fellowship-trained peripheral vascular surgeons could informally meet, exchange ideas, and mutually promote the new specialty of peripheral vascular surgery.

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2023

Dr. Ravi Veeraswamy

A concerted effort was made to reach students and residents from historically black institutions. We made it a priority to broaden the programming and ensured that everyone felt welcome. The EC approved an increase in the number of travel stipends to accommodate more trainees & medical students. This initiative was perfect as 2023 marked the first International meeting of VESS – held in breathtakingly beautiful Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. Scientifically, there were a near record number of abstract submissions and the resulting program was exceptionally strong.

We must highlight Dr. Veeraswamy’s unforgettable Presidential Dinner! At his request we not only had the most delicious dinner of Indian Cuisine, he was able to encourage the majority of the audience to take the stage and give their best Karaoke performance! Needless to say, most VESS members are better at surgery than singing but the effort was amazing.

2022

Dr. Jason Lee

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic and trying to get back in person, we adjusted from our previously chosen international location to Aspen/Snowmass and came back in record numbers. Clearly the interest amongst the young vascular surgeons for research, camaraderie, and mentorship was as strong as ever. We developed the General Surgery Resident Program to further highlight recruitment for fellowships, while continuing our strong tradition of medical students and vascular trainees. The EC also that year with Dr. Lee’s guidance focused on increasing research opportunities and funding from VESS, awarding additional resident and faculty grants due to such high level of competition for the grants, as well as our excellent fundraising efforts allowing even more sponsorship. Finally, the concept of the VESS Research Consortium (VRC) was established to provide an in-house structure to collaborate on clinical operative outcomes from our creative membership. We are hopeful for many more years to come the VRC will provide meaningful contributions to vascular surgical science.

2021

Dr, Matthew Corriere

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 VESS annual winter meeting was hosted virtually. This allowed us the opportunity to record talks for the first time and these were added to the newly-created VESS YouTube Channel for members to watch. The pandemic also resulted in members of the society creating a VESS Virtual Residency Fair, which enabled future vascular surgeon medical students to meet with programs across the country virtually given that travel for interviews was not an option. At the spring meeting, an in-person event was held at the Vascular Annual Meeting in conjunction with the Society for Vascular Surgery. For the first time in society history, the VESS sessions were in the main event room during an afternoon of the meeting.

2020

Dr. James Black

In 2019-2020, coming together with multiple specialties across cardiology and interventional radiology to address the controversy with drug-coated balloons, the VESS led the way among all vascular societies. The VESS worked with other societies and the FDA because it was the right thing for patients, despite perceived misgivings how one may view such interventions as performed by others.

President Dr. Black saw value in fostering trust among all specialties who treat patients with vascular disease. As he stated in his Presidential Address at Steamboat, Colorado in 2020, “if you’re not at the table, you might be on the menu!” The collaboration matured into a strategy for the “three nationals” of the VESS, SCVS, and SVS. The vascular community as represented by these societies are now partners to provide surgical vision and oversight for issues that enter the radar in the future. As opportunities open for consensus work, focus groups, and committees arise, VESS members will play significant roles in national discussions to the perspective of new surgeons and their skills to address our patients.

2019

Dr. Jonathan Eliason

VESS signed an Memorandum of Understanding with the SVS to positively impact the professional and personal development of the early career vascular surgeon.

2018

Dr. Peter Nelson

At the direction of Dr. Peter Nelson, the Next Generation Student Mentor Program was added to the Annual Meeting Schedule which subsequently led to the creation of the Medical Student Membership Category.

2015

In an effort to increase Industry involvement and support, the Vascular Technology Forum was added to the Annual Meeting schedule creating an opportunity for companies to showcase novel developments in a hands-on format with expert presentations.

2014

Under the leadership of Drs. Ruth Bush and Vikram Kashyap, the society’s official name is changed from the Peripheral Vascular Surgery Society to the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society (VESS). This change was important to more accurately reflect the scope of the society and its modernity.

Past PVSS President Chuck Anderson, M.D., commented, “Our specialty has evolved dramatically since the early meetings of the Peripheral Vascular Surgery Club. The original goal was to recognize the group of ‘new’ surgeons that were fellowship trained in a ‘new’ specialty and provide a forum for continued education and advocacy. The new name more appropriately reflects the evolution of the specialty and our mission remains the same.”

The newly minted VESS restructured its meetings such that the Winter meeting became the official Annual Meeting of the society, moving the Presidential Address and Business Meeting here rather than the Spring meeting.

2012

A strategic planning retreat was held during the Winter meeting including the PVSS leadership, Executive Council members, PVSS representatives and Committee Chairs. Topics included:

Overview of Current Status – Who are we?
Membership Development Initiatives – How to recruit more members
Young Vascular Surgeon Initiatives – How to attract younger members
Future Fundraising Initiative – PVSS Foundation – How to raise more financial support
PVSS Partnership – SVS and other vascular societies – How to play in the same sandbox
PVSS Future Administrative Needs – How to keep up with the growing administrative demands of our society.

Some changes to the Board/Committee structure to allow more involvement of members in order to meet the demand of increasing societal presence/workload; Expanded young vascular surgeon initiatives; Improved partnerships with SVS to help address need for early career and young vascular surgeon initiatives across both societies; Established PVSS foundation (FVI) which became operational following year in an effort to improve fundraising & industry relationships.

2011

Dr. Martin Back

Some difficult logistics threatened the success of the PVSS Annual Winter Meeting in Steamboat Springs. Due to unexpected illness, our existing PVSS management company was unable to continue in their duties and service. We were very fortunate, and with the agreement of the executive committee and membership, I was able to bring on board Administrare to take over as our new management company. Angela Wetherbee and Eila Zay made the transition seamless and 12 years later we could not be happier with their efforts on behalf of VESS.

2010

The PVSS executive committee pushed SVS leaders to begin a joint VAM program committee composed of 2/3 SVS and 1/3 PVSS members to go through all abstract submissions to the annual meeting and be part of grading process. This combined ranking process allowed for PVSS to help structure the annual meeting and increased the impact of the Spring meeting papers presented.

2008

The PVSS established a relationship with the Journal of Vascular Surgery for publications from the Spring meeting. This was a major achievement, as it greatly increased the impact factor of these publications and the society’s academic profile.

2006

Shortly after the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) had been coalesced from two other societies (SVS/NA-ISCVS) the PVSS began to work towards the integration of our annual meeting with the SVS annual meeting. Previously, the PVSS annual meeting had been a co-located but entirely separate meeting.

2005

Dr. Lewis Schwartz

President Dr. Lewis Schwartz co-wrote “PVSS: An update of the history and future of the Peripheral Vascular Surgery Society.”

Introduction: “The Peripheral Vascular Surgery Society (PVSS) is an international professional society dedicated to the art and science of the understanding and treatment of vascular disease. Its active membership is composed exclusively of young vascular surgeons with 12 years of experience in the field. This article presents the history, mission, and current activities of the PVSS.”

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2004

Dr. Will Jordan

After multiple petitions, the PVSS was granted a seat on the Vascular Surgery Board. This accomplishment signaled growing recognition of the Society across the field of vascular surgery with greater visibility nationally. Our first representative was Dr. William Jordan.

1986

With the word “society” firmly established in the organization’s name, and with overwhelming approval of the policy of no membership limit, the eleventh meeting in New Orleans in 1986 was expansive. Members were encouraged to sponsor young fellowship graduates for membership.

Senior members were urged to continue to attend and participate in the annual program. And the membership approved the establishment of a Foreign Fellowship Category. Qualified young foreign vascular surgeons will be invited to become members under this special category. It is hoped that their participation will add stimulating fellowship as well as enhance the quality of the annual program.

1985

In addition to presentations by members and invited guests, the tenth meeting in Baltimore had several unusual aspects. An event started in Boston in 1982 re- emerged – a fun-run of two to three miles. The unmarked trail through the Maryland woods in a warm rain succeeded in providing several course variations, but everyone showed up by cocktail time.

At the dinner meeting, the first honorary members were inducted and Mrs. Glia Wylie graciously accepted the honorary membership for her late husband.

The political turbulence concerning vascular Board requirement was calmed considerably by an encouraging report from the Joint Council of SVS/ISCVS. A summary of their achievements regarding individual vascular certification and accreditation of vascular surgical programs was presented to the club membership at the business meeting and sparked optimism among the group.

With spirits buoyed, the membership took a bold step and voted to change the name of the organization to Peripheral Vascular Surgery Society. By making this change, they hoped not to alter the informality and spontaneity of the organization, but to improve its ability to flourish along with other national and regional vascular societies. As a national organization of young, fellowship-trained peripheral vascular surgeons, the Peripheral Vascular Surgery Society is complementary, not competitive.

1984

Dr. Anthony Imparato

Having reaffirmed its identity as an organization for the young, trained vascular surgeon, the Peripheral Vascular Surgery Club’s ninth meeting in June of 1984 in Atlanta, Georgia was stimulating and productive. The newly-elected president of the Society for Vascular Surgery, Dr. Anthony Imparato, spoke to the members on “Why We Look, but Do Not See.”

The category of honorary membership was established and Drs. John Bergan, Ben Eiseman and E.J. Wylie (posthumously) were selected as the first honorary members. The evening dinner was highlighted by President Bloemendal’s hilarious presentation entitled “Bloemendal’s Familiar Quotations.” Despite the success of this ninth meeting, the membership predictably expressed its displeasure over the issues of training program approval and individual certification. Why should training programs be disapproved because they did not provide a stated number of vascular cases to general surgery residents? Why was there such a rigid post-training caseload requirement for peripheral vascular surgery certification? Although the club membership issued no policy statement, they reaffirmed the visionary concepts of Dr. E.J. Wylie.

1980

By the fifth meeting, an interest in political topics was beginning to emerge. Although Dr. Robert Kistner’s talk on “Venous Reconstructive Surgery: The New Horizon” was well received, the new horizon for the club was controversy. Should members be required to perform a specific number of vascular cases per year to maintain membership?

Dr. Robert Kistner

Should the club form a vascular registry? Should inclusion in the registry be a prerequisite for membership? Should the club provide a placement service for vascular surgeons looking for jobs? No clear-cut consensus developed and these topics were ultimately tabled, but, for the first time, the membership began to speak out on topics related to the development of peripheral vascular surgery as a sub-specialty.

At the sixth annual meeting in Dallas in 1981, the controversy regarding limited membership re-emerged. Should the club remain small in order to maintain its informality and open forum for spontaneous discussion? If membership was to remain small, what should be the criteria for selecting new members and should there be a limitation on the number of years that a member could actively participate in the club? Was it to be like the Society for Academic Surgery – strictly a young surgeon’s club?

By the 1982 meeting in Boston, these questions still were unanswered. President Ed Bone realized that the viability of the organization was at stake and that these critical questions must be answered. He formed an Ad Hoc Committee on Membership which was challenged to provide guidance on how to resolve these problems related to the growth of the organization.

At the 1983 meeting in San Francisco, the Ad Hoc Committee on Membership delivered its report. The recommendations were vigorously debated, but the following guidelines were finally agreed upon. – There is no membership limit. – Active members become senior members after 10 years of membership. – Senior members have full voting privileges, but may not hold office or be on any committee except the Executive Committee.

1978

By the Summer of 1978, the rapid growth and informality of the Peripheral Vascular Surgery Club presented some unexpected problems. The process for handling membership applications was loose and some applications were not acted upon. Lack of a Constitution and Bylaws impeded orderly growth.

An Executive Council was formed and Dr. Larry Hollier volunteered to develop a Constitution and Bylaws. At the first Executive Council dinner, held the evening before the Annual Meeting in October of 1978, the group approved the draft Constitution and Bylaws. They also previewed the official necktie of the club. Of course, in order to have the necktie custom-made, a quantity, many times the number of members, had to be ordered. In an early effort at cost efficiency, Dr. William Gross suggested that members buy enough ties to have shorts made. Unique to the third meeting of the club, held the following day at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, was a report by Dr. Charles Andersen concerning the club’s representation on the Joint Committee of Regional Vascular Societies. Although not a regional vascular society, the Peripheral Vascular Surgery Club valued its inclusion on the Joint Committee and was grateful for the opportunity to state its goals and purposes.

The annual meeting returned to Chicago in October of 1979 for what turned out to be the last meeting in conjunction with the American College of Surgeons. In order to be more aligned with vascular surgery, future meeting dates were changed to the day preceding the Joint Meeting of the Society for Vascular Surgery and the International Society for Cardiovascular Surgery. Struggling with the problem of new applicants and membership size, the club decided, after much discussion, to accept only 10 members each year. This was an important policy change as, prior to this decision, membership was unlimited.

1977

Fueled by word of mouth at the SVS/ISCVS meetings in June of 1977, news of this fledgling organization spread quickly. Forty-eight membership applications were received by the second meeting, and the first scientific session held in Dallas on October 16, 1977.

Although the papers were excellent and the discussion lively and stimulating, a reading of the program announcement suggested a shaky beginning to this new organization. The title “First Annual Meeting of the Peripheral Vascular Society Club” exposed the ambiguous self-identity as it groped for its realistic image as a society or a club.

1976

The first meeting of the proposed organization was held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American College of Surgeons on October 10, 1976 at the Chicago Blackstone Hotel. Nineteen founding members were present and they named the new organization, the Peripheral Vascular Surgery Club.

They determined it would be a national organization involved in all aspects of peripheral vascular surgery. Its purpose would be to bring together young, trained peripheral vascular surgeons coming out of approved fellowship programs in order to meet and exchange ideas and experiences. It would be a forum where peers could criticize in a positive way their clinical and laboratory research. There would be no written manuscripts and no pirating of ideas; just discussion among friends. Subjects related to vascular research, clinical vascular surgery and teaching methods would be considered for presentation at subsequent meetings.

Dr. John Bergan attended that first meeting and detailed the guidelines that the major vascular societies had used in developing criteria for approving fellowship training programs. The club agreed that a prerequisite for membership must include 12 consecutive months of specific training in peripheral vascular surgery. It remains as the only national organization that does so.

1975

Dr. Ben Eiseman

While Visiting Professor of Surgery at New York University in the winter of 1975, Dr. Ben Eiseman recognized that a second generation of young vascular surgeons was being trained and that they would soon be responsible for the majority of peripheral vascular surgical care throughout the United States.

He suggested the founding of an organization of young fellowship-graduates in peripheral vascular surgery and proposed that the organizational structure be similar to that of the Surgical Biology Club. With this concept in mind, one of us (RGS) sent a letter in February of 1975 to the directors of all programs providing fellowships in peripheral vascular surgery, as published in the December issue of Surgery. This letter explained the objectives of the proposed organization and asked the program directors for their comments. The response was positive, and in May of 1976, a second letter was sent directly to current and recent fellows, inviting them to be founding members of a club consisting solely of those who had spent a year in special training in peripheral vascular surgery.

About VESS: History