Wealth of Benefits From Joining the AVF

Joining the American Venous Forum (AVF) offers numerous benefits to healthcare professionals who are dedicated to venous disease and vascular health. Members gain access to cutting-edge research, clinical guidelines, and educational resources, including the Journal of Vascular Surgery: Venous and Lymphatic Disorders and Vein Specialist, the AVF newsletter that highlights the latest advances in the field. Members can also contribute short articles to the newsletter.

Networking opportunities abound, allowing members to connect with vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists, and other specialists, fostering valuable professional relationships. The AVF also provides avenues for professional development through workshops, and annual meetings, where members can enhance their skills and stay updated on new techniques.

Members can participate in advocacy efforts to promote awareness of venous diseases and contribute to policy discussions that shape the future of vascular care. Additionally, the AVF offers access to grants and funding opportunities for research projects, as well as discounted rates for conferences and events.

Mentorship programs pair less experienced members with seasoned professionals who can provide guidance and support. Further, members can earn recognition through various awards and certifications, enhancing their professional credibility. Overall, membership in the AVF is a valuable investment that equips individuals to advance their careers while improving patient care in venous health.

Welcome New AVF Members

September/October 2024

The Power of Global Community

I have been a member of the American Venous Forum International Committee since April 2024. I would like to thank the leaders who have supported me, especially, Dr. Makoto Mo, Dr. Eri Fukaya, Dr. Tomohiro Ogawa, Mr. Yoshihisa Hamaguchi, and International Committee leaders.

In 2017, I encountered the American Venous Forum for the first time in New Orleans. I stopped by the conference after a tour of an elastic stocking factory with friends. The best I could do was just to watch the prestigious conference from the sidelines. The town was in the festival mood of the Mardi Gras parade. While dining with friends on Bourbon Street, I thought about AVF.

My team and I started giving presentations at the Tucson, Arizona AVF meeting in 2018 and at Rancho Mirage, California, in 2019. I was scheduled to present a poster in Amelia Island, Florida in 2020. However, this is when things had changed because the COVID-19 disaster had started.

In February 2020, the Diamond Princess, the world’s first COVID-19 disaster cruise ship, arrived at Yokohama, Japan, my hometown. I received an urgent fax from the Japanese government because of the uncontrollable infection. On February 17, I boarded the ship as a volunteer quarantine doctor. After much consideration, I cancelled my trip to the United States in March.

The world was then engulfed in a vortex of infection. I continued to fight in the outpatient clinic for febrile infections with my team, forgetting vascular surgery. There was no vaccine or special treatment yet. That is when I received an email from AVF. They were calling for abstracts for a virtual conference to be held in March 2021. In the midst of days of stagnation and hopelessness, I regained my positive motivation for the first time in a year. I was very encouraged by the opportunity to give my presentation and meet AVF colleagues at the virtual conference. Without a doubt, AVF saved me at that time.

As the world slowly began to settle down, our team returned to the AVF conference in San Antonio, Texas in 2023. I had always wanted to give something back to AVF. In 2024, in Tampa, Florida, Dr. Fukaya talked to me about AVF volunteers in the Asian region. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to serve on the International Committee. There I heard from the committee leaders about the opportunity for a webinar for Asia. I felt a strong sense of mission from my own experience. I was very impressed by the success of the webinar in Egypt and Africa that AVF International Committee leaders and Dr. Rashad Bishara had already conducted.

Today is said to be the era of VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity). I believe that medical professionals should make connections directly with each other and be able to gather in webinars or other virtual platforms. In a world of accelerating chaos, I hope that AVF will continue to be a place and platform to help young medical professionals around the world. I will never forget how AVF saved me.

Expertise in Venous Disease and Membership in the American Venous Forum Can Help Boost the Careers of Young Vascular Specialists

Harrowing experiences during oral board examinations are commonly passed down to future generations of trainees and can become urban legends. I was recently speaking to a senior surgeon mentor who recalled an incident when a question was asked to a young vascular surgeon taking the certifying (oral board) exam. The topic of the question was related to management of varicose veins in a teenager with suspected Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome. The candidate responded to the group of examiners that “I’m sorry but at my residency program, we didn’t perform venous cases during my training.” One of the other examiners in the room abruptly ended the session and calmly thanked the candidate. The last words uttered to the candidate at that moment were “if that’s the case, we look forward to hearing your response to this question when you retake this exam next year.”

Although this experience is atypical and has evolved as vascular surgery lore, it highlights the importance of knowledge, training, and expertise in the management of venous disease for all vascular specialists in training. Per the American Board of Surgery (ABS), approximately 8 percent of questions on the Vascular Surgery Qualifying (written) exam pertain to venous disease. This is equivalent to the number of questions allotted to other categories including cerebrovascular, arterial aneurysms, and lower extremity occlusive disease. Questions related to thoracic outlet syndrome, vascular laboratory, lymphatic, and upper extremity increase the number of questions related to venous disease to 15-18% of the exam! This indicates that the ABS regards expertise in venous disease as highly important and all young vascular specialists should as well.

Aside from helping vascular specialists pass their board exams, expertise in the diagnosis and management of venous disease gained during formative years of training can lead to immense satisfaction for both the physician and the patient. Some of my most long-lasting and rewarding relationships in my 20-year career as a vascular surgeon have been maintained with patients I have treated for a wide variety of venous pathology. Upon completion of my training and on the first day of my new vascular surgery practice, I realized that referrals for venous disease comprised a large percentage of patients walking through my office door. Because of the high prevalence of patients with chronic venous insufficiency, varicose veins, lymphedema, and lower leg edema, referring doctors value vascular specialists who are proficient with these conditions and obtain good outcomes. In turn, expertise with venous disease helped lead to increased referrals in many other areas of vascular disease and expanded my practice greatly.

Membership in the American Venous Forum (AVF) for the young vascular specialist provides valuable benefits and resources for those embarking on a career managing vascular disease and can help fill in gaps (or deficiencies) in knowledge. Countless educational resources are available including: the AVF yearly meeting (with international reach and attendance), Early Career Courses in Venous Disease, a huge library of online digital resources (Venous Online), webinars, and streaming content. The AVF also provides a robust network of peers with tremendous expertise and experience managing complex venous problems. As a trainee, an AVF membership can also provide important career opportunities including mentor-mentee relationships, scholarships for fellowship, research, and travel, and leadership training.

Jump start your careers by fully engaging in venous cases during your residency, joining the American Venous Forum, and gaining continued expertise in the diagnosis and management of venous disease! I look forward to meeting as your journeys progress. A great opportunity awaits at the VENOUS2025 meeting “Together For Venous Care” February 16-19, 2025 in Atlanta. I hope to see you all there!

American Board of Surgery, 2020, Vascular Surgery: Content Outline for the In-Training Examination (VSITE), Qualifying Examination (QE) and Continuous Certification (CC) Readmissibility Examination. https://program.absurgery.org/xfer/VS-ITE-QE-RECERT.pdf

Register for VENOUS2025 today!