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Vascular Access Society of the Americas, Inc.

January/February 2008



Letter from the President


Dear VASA Member:

On behalf of the Vascular Access Society of the Americas, I would like to thank you for your past support and participation in our Society.

The 2008 Annual Dues Invoice and Membership Information Update Sheet has been mailed to all members. We would ask you to please process your dues payment upon receipt of the invoice and revise your information for the Society’s membership database.

Additionally, please be reminded that important Society news and information will be communicated to you electronically. Therefore, it is important that we have your correct E-mail address in our database. We have found that E-mail is clearly a very efficient method to quickly broadcast important information to the membership.

Please be reminded that you also may remit your membership dues on-line.

The last year has seen the Society continue to evolve and grow. We have successfully changed the administrative and management duties of the society to a new Management company; our Membership recruitment efforts have helped us achieve over 400 members including surgeons committed to access surgery, interventional nephrologists and radiologists, as well as dedicated ancillary personnel to our Society; and VASA continues to grow in stature by sponsoring and offering excellent educational programs such as the one day at the Veith Meeting in New York, our practicum course held at Duke University last spring and the Vascular Access for Hemodialysis Symposia. We will continue to offer these and many more programs in the years to come.

Here are some other points of interest and news about VASA and initiatives that have been set by the VASA Officers and Board of Directors:

MEMBERSHIP Please encourage your partners and colleagues to join VASA. Individual membership benefits provide the ability for one to improve clinical aspects of their professional career and quality patient care efforts. The VASA membership base consists of individuals committed to quality vascular access and dialysis and includes general, vascular and transplant surgeons; nephrologists and interventional nephrologists; interventional radiologists; and nurses and technicians.

Applications may be found on the Society’s Web Site at www.vasamd.org or by contacting the Society’s Administrative Offices. Individuals also may register on-line.

COMMITTEE DEVELOPMENT VASA would like you to get involved and is looking for volunteers for the following active Committees:

Membership Committee Nominating Committee Government Affairs Committee Program Committee Bylaws Committee Editorial Ad-Hoc Committee

If you are interested in serving please let us know. A copy of your CV will be required for consideration.

VASA also is pleased to announce the formation of the Website Ad-Hoc Committee. This Committee is charged with working toward improving the Society’s current website to better address the needs of VASA members. One of the many on-line and web-based programs being planned include a VASA Listserv group as a tool for the dissemination of information and discussion of vascular access related topics.

This newly formed Website Ad-Hoc Committee is looking for members with an interest in and expertise in web-site design and management to join the Committee. If you are interested in serving on this Committee, please contact us.

VASA AND THE JOURNAL OF VASCULAR ACCESS The Journal of Vascular Access is very interested in receiving manuscripts from VASA members. They can be submitted directly to Maurizio Gallieni at maurizio.gallieni@fastwebnet.it or to Samuel Wilson, MD, Chair of the Editorial Committee at Wilsonse@uci.edu. VASA members are called on from time to time to review submissions, an activity much appreciated by your editor. JVA is a peer reviewed Journal and abstracts of published papers can be accessed through PubMed. VASA continues to negotiate a durable contract with the Journal.

FUTURE MEETINGS Plans for the Vascular Access for Hemodialysis 11th Symposium, May 7-9, 2008 at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal, Orlando, Florida are underway. Please make your plans to attend. The Preliminary Scientific Program and Registration information will be available within the next few weeks.

Please continue to follow our progress through our Web site (www.vasamd.org). And feel free to send us your thoughts, ideas and comments as we move toward further progress in the future. I look forward to working with you in our effort to move the Society forward and grow under the leadership of its officers and members. I also look forward to seeing you in Orlando in May

Sincerely yours,

A. Frederick Schild, MD
President
Vascular Access Society of the Americas

August 2007

Letter from the President

Dear Members and Colleagues:

I regret to inform you that our Executive Director, L. Jack Carow, IIII, retired on June 30, 2007. We appreciate his dedication and hard work leading to the formation of the Society and its present accomplishments and status in vascular access and dialysis.

The Board of Directors of the Vascular Access Society of the America, after careful review, selected Ms. Terri Comegys to perform the administrative and management duties of the society. Terri is President of her firm, BostonBased, 19 North Street, Salem, MA 01970, Tel: 978-745-8331; Fax: 978-745-8334; vasa@bostonbased.com. She will be handling the VASA affairs. We expect the transition to proceed smoothly as she is familiar with our Society, and is currently providing similar services to regional and national societies in the medical/surgical community.

I look forward to working with you in our effort to move the Society forward and grow under the leadership of its officers and members. I also look forward to seeing you in Orlando during our Vascular Access for Hemodialysis 11th Symposium to be held May 7-9, 2008 at the Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal, Orlando.

Sincerely,
A. Frederick Schild, M.D.
President


June 2006

VASA has just completed its first "exercise" in education as a cosponsor of the May 18-19 Vascular Access for Hemodialysis X Symposium in Phoenix, Arizona. It was a smashing success with just over 250 attendees participating in this program devoted exclusively to the many clinical facets of vascular access and dialysis. W.L. Gore has been the exclusive promoter and founder of this meeting since its inception and will continue to support the program to the best of its ability in the future, along with other corporate entities. Thanks to VASA Board member, Dr. Mitchell L. Henry, this Society will have full responsibility for the 2008 Vascular Access XI Symposium which he has led as Program Director over the past twenty years. His continuing expertise and support will be needed for this and all future symposia. The VASA Board met for the first time face-to-face in Phoenix. Many important decisions were made and I want to bring them to your attention so that you and all other VASA members are aware of our progress as we strive to become the exclusive, leading society devoted to our specialty of vascular access and dialysis. Here then are some of the salient decisions made by the Board:
Future VASA Meetings
November 15-19, 2006, Veith Meeting, New York City: At the invitation of Program Director Dr. Frank Veith, Board Members Dr. Larry Scher and Dr. Tom Vesely, along with other VASA Board Members have developed a program concentrating on vascular access and dialysis as an integral part of the Veith program. It will be presented on Wednesday afternoon, November 15. As a member of VASA, you will receive a program as soon as it becomes available. 2007 VASA Vascular Access and Dialysis Meeting: VASA’s meeting planner is searching for a venue to accommodate a VASA meeting in May 2007. It is late to begin planning for this event, but members will be kept informed of progress and opportunities to participate in the program. 2008 Vascular Access for Hemodialysis XI Symposium: VASA has accepted the awesome responsibility of continuing the Vascular Symposia so successfully directed by Dr. Mitchell Henry since its inception 20 years ago. This is a daunting task for a new organization and one which will require membership participation and corporate support. Your thoughts and ideas are welcomed in regard to the 2008 clinical program to ensure that the Symposium meets expectations of attendees and continues its successful role in defining critical and essential elements in vascular access and dialysis.
VASA Journal Negotiations
VASA has been honored by proposals to affiliate with the two leading journals devoted to vascular access and dialysis. The Board of Directors carefully considered each offer and, for a variety of reasons, chose to open negotiations with The Journal of Vascular Access published in Milan, Italy, under the editorship of Dr. Maurizio Gallieni. Negotiations will be conducted by a group of VASA Board members, headed by Dr. Samuel E. Wilson, University of California, Irvine. Members will learn more as discussions ensue.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
First and foremost, help VASA build resources to accomplish its unique, exclusive role in vascular access and dialysis. Continue your membership and encourage your colleagues to join you as a member of this Society which seeks to have vascular access and dialysis recognized within the medical community as a distinct specialty body of knowledge that involves multidisciplinary specialty fields. If you have personal contacts with representatives and executives in industries that manufacture vascular access and dialysis products that you utilize, call the VASA office with contact information. Corporate support has assisted our beginning, and we need to expand this area just as importantly as we need to gain membership support. Committee Development: Presently, we have the following committees about to become active if they are not already: • Program Committee • Socioeconomic Committee • Finance Committee • Membership Committee If you are interested in serving please let us know. A copy of your CV will be required for consideration. General Comments: While we want to keep all members informed of progress, it is easier said than done. All of your Board members, like you, have heavy schedules. Please continue to follow our progress through our Web site (www.vasamd.org). And feel free to send us your thoughts, ideas and comments as we move toward further progress in the future. Thank you for your abiding interest in, and support of, VASA. A. Frederick Schild, MD President Vascular Access Society of the Americas

About VASA


In early 2005 a group of 15 distinguished U.S. physicians joined together to create the Vascular Access Society of the Americas (VASA), as a new professional medical society crafted for the purpose of recognizing vascular access and dialysis as a specialty body of knowledge and skills within the continuum of medical care. VASA represents a national effort to unite clinical education and expertise in vascular access and dialysis for the advancement of quality patient care. The VASA Board of Directors includes physicians within the wide range of specialties providing vascular access and dialysis services to patients: general surgeons, vascular surgeons, transplant surgeons, nephrologists, interventional nephrologists, and interventional radiologists. VASA membership is now open to qualify physicians within these specialty disciplines. Membership is also open to nurses and technicians associated with vascular access and dialysis patient care. As such, VASA can be characterized as an interspecialty coalition of physicians and associated professionals skilled in the performance of vascular access and dialysis.

The Vascular Access Society of the Americas is now incorporated. Its educational mission is to improve the care of patients undergoing all facets of vascular access and dialysis through clinical programs and services. Charter Membership opened in Spring, 2005.