Print this pagePresident's Message
Dear Fellow Members,
Our Society's first meeting in Connecticut was a resounding success! There was excellent attendance and participation. The scientific sessions lived up to the Society's long tradition of scholarship. The program was highlighted by the Willard C. Mackey, Jr., Aortic Disease Symposium. There David Tilson described the latest investigations of the etiology of aortic aneurysmal disease and Michael Dake and Joseph Coselli updated their most recent experience with the treatment aortic aneurysm and dissection. Paul Friedmann, this year's Linton Lecturer, discussed the challenges surrounding the issue of competence in surgery. The second "Professor's Rounds" provided an informal forum for a discussion of future vascular surgery training paradigms with aspiring surgeons from the region's medical schools and surgical training programs. At the meeting's end, after a fascinating and challenging discussion of the relationship between vascular surgeons and industry at our Issues Panel, it was clear that the Society remains engaged and vibrant.
To insure that the Society continues to flourish, we, its members, must continue to energetically pursue our goals and objectives. Under the leadership of President-Elect Cambria and Secretary Pomposelli, the Society will reach out again to those in the region practicing vascular surgery. Remember our Society's raison d'etre is to be a focal point for those caring for patients with vascular disease so that knowledge will be expanded, disseminated and outcomes improved. We must find more effective ways to encourage and inspire medical students and surgical residents to perceive how rewarding a vascular surgery career can be. We must continue to responsibly interact with those in industry who provide mechanisms of care for vascular disease.
To that end, planning for next year's meeting has already begun. The Executive Council is eager for any suggestions you may have to enhance the experience and to advance the Society's goals. I encourage you to communicate any ideas you may have to me or any member of the Council. Contact information is available on our website and through the link at this message's end.
Finally, on a personal note, I am honored and challenged to serve as your President this year. I am dedicated to further the mission and well being of the Society. Please, contact me at any time with any question or suggestion you may have. With your help, we will continue to strengthen the quality of vascular surgery in New England.
Daniel B. Walsh, MD
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Lebanon, New Hampshire