Abstract
Meeting Highlights
The 36th annual Vascular Scientific Sessions (VSS2025) presented by The Society for Vascular Medicine was held at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from September 18-21, 2025. We welcomed over 330 registered attendees, 80 industry partners from 8 countries including Argentina, Bangladesh, Italy, Philippines, and Switzerland. With 120 invited faculty, 30 sessions, and 17 CME hours offered, VSS2025 was an incredible success. One first time attendee commented that “[VSS2025] was one of the most inviting, educational, and entertaining vascular meetings I have ever attended.” This is certainly praise of the highest kind, and I want to wholeheartedly thank the Program Committee for their tireless efforts over the past year to plan a meeting that was engaging, innovative, and fun!
The Science
The “Year in Review,” highlighting pivotal developments in peripheral artery disease (PAD), venous thromboembolism (VTE), and aneurysm management was the perfect way to kick off the 3-day meeting. This year the program introduced dedicated sessions on disparities in vascular disease and innovations in vascular imaging, reflecting the field’s growing emphasis on equity and technology.
To complement the traditional year in review, a new session called “The Year Going Forward” featured luminaries in the field who presented clinical trials and studies in vascular medicine currently enrolling or being analyzed, the results of which we should expect to see published soon. The “Year In Review” and the “Year Going Forward” were capped off with a keynote address by Dr. Daniel Rader, Professor of Medicine and Chair of the Department of Genetics at Penn Medicine, on “Novel Therapeutic Targets in Vascular Medicine.” The session was a wild success, with many commenting afterwards that they took notes of which clinical trial results they would be sure to look for over the coming year.
Another novel session this year was “Vascular Disease and the Environment,” which explored the effects of various environmental factors influencing development and management of vascular disease. Environmental factors included neighborhood walkability and heavy metal exposure, and we also learned how vascular biology can be linked to the environment. This session was capped off with an incredible keynote by Dr. Sadeer Al-Kindi, Associate Professor at Houston Methodist and Weill Cornell Medicine and Associate Director at the Center for Cardiovascular Computational & Precision Health at Houston Methodist, who presented “The Exposome: Rethinking Vascular Health Beyond the Clinic.
Following a lively session on controversies in peripheral artery disease featuring debates and rapid fire questions from the audience, a unique session on “Digital Innovation in Vascular Medicine” included talks from pioneers in MedTech, wearable devices, and digital health. The day was rounded out by a thought provoking keynote entitled “Reconceptualizing Practice, Research, and Clinician Identity in the Connected World of Digital Health,” delivered by Dr. Matthew Corriere, Professor of Surgery and Director of the Division of Vascular Diseases and Surgery at the Ohio State University College of Medicine.
The science continued into Friday night during the Poster Session Happy Hour. The Society is indebted to Drs. Yogen Kanthi and Tammy Polansky who again chaired the Abstract Selection Committee. This year, there were 70 printed posters, four moderated digital posters, four YIA finalists, and four highlighted oral abstracts. Stemming from Dr. Paul Wennberg’s great idea, we awarded the “People’s Choice Award” for best poster and best case study. All attendees were allotted three votes, and the winners were chosen by popular vote. Yet another new initiative that truly increased engagement amongst our young presenters, attendees, and seasoned scientists.
Saturday started with the “Clash of the Titans: Great Debates in Vascular Medicine,” which pit SVM Past Presidents against each other in debates about intervention for asymptomatic high-grade carotid stenosis, intervention for claudication, and intervention for acute iliofemoral DVT. Our Past Presidents threw down in a no holds barred session, with some arguments even supplemented with commentary by Snoop Dogg and Tom Cruise. The heavyweight championship belts were awarded to the victorious: Beckman over Aronow, Bacharach over Rooke, Froehlich over Kolluri. Dr. Shea Hogan shined as her alter-ego, Hulk Hogan, and Dr. Stanislav Henkin graced the stage with his sharp wit and what can only be described as a dazzling presence.
Led by Drs. Nichole Brunton and Jessica Bjorklund, the Pregnancy and Vascular Disease session spotlighted topics that vascular providers must know to care for pregnant patients with vascular disease including: complications and future cardiovascular risk, spontaneous coronary artery dissection, aortopathy, and pregnancy-associated venous thrombosis. Attendees commented on the necessity of the topics covered and requested more programming on this topic in the future.
The “Best of VSS2025: Highlighted Oral Abstracts” were expertly moderated by Drs. Scott Cameron and Pulkit Chaudhury. Congratulations to Drs. Jacob Grand, Firas Hentati, Ido Weinberg, and Kobe Tray, BA, whose abstracts were chosen to be presented at this session. An incredibly practical session providing an essential review of implementation methods for prevention of atherosclerotic disease was a fitting segue way into an afternoon of engaging fireside chats amongst experts who discussed complex cases of atherosclerotic vascular disease and chronic limb- threatening ischemia. Attendees appreciated the intimate format and learning through presentation of real cases.
Sunday sessions covered the “bread and butter” of vascular medicine: thrombosis and anticoagulation, carotid disease, aortic disease, and of course, pulmonary embolism (PE). In the session titled “Activate the PERT! Team Based Approach for Complex PE,” a multidisciplinary team comprised of vascular medicine, interventional cardiology, and interventional radiology specialists, simulated a PERT activation for three complex cases including clot in transit, acute on chronic PE, and PE requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). The feedback for this session was universally positive with many commenting that they learned about new techniques for the treatment of PE .
Special Sessions
Dr. Gaurav Parmar chaired his fourth and wildly popular hands-on ultrasound and point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) workshop on Friday afternoon to yet another sold-out crowd. Drs. Eri Fukaya and Aditya Sharma planned and chaired the Venous Lymphatic Vascular Medicine Workshop, which followed the venous vascular session: “Nuts and Bolts of Venous Clinical Practice”. Luminaries in the field including Drs. Steve Elias, Raghu Kolluri, Brett Carroll, and Bernadette Erikson, PT, CLT-LANA shared their insights on starting and maintaining successful venous lymphatic vascular medicine practices, and the workshop provided registered attendees the opportunity to experience hands-on learning about venous and lymphatic disease in small groups. It was truly standing room only during the workshop, and VSS2026 will definitely reprise and expand this popular session but with longer time to learn and with expanded faculty.
On Saturday evening, the “Global Networking Happy Hour - Celebrating our International Colleagues” allowed us to learn about vascular medicine initiatives around the world. We were very honored to host Dr. Lucia Mazzolai, President of the European Society of Vascular Medicine (ESVM), as she provided updates about ESVM initiatives and vision for the future of vascular medicine in Europe. Dr. Jasmin Melissa Bernardo, President of the Philippine Society of Vascular Medicine (PSVM), provided a moving introduction of Dr. Maria Teresa Abola, who delivered a keynote speech, “The Story of Vascular Medicine in the Philippines.” Dr. Abola’s career and role in the development and growth of vascular medicine in the Philippines is not only inspirational but cements her as a pioneering, trailblazing, and groundbreaking giant in our field.
The Fun!
VSS2025 did not disappoint in the fun department, and several attendees commented on the quality of the fellowship opportunities. Following committee meetings on Thursday afternoon, the Speed Mentoring event, led by Drs. Alexandra Solomon and Aaron Aday, was very well-received, and multiple trainees who attended have subsequently decided to pursue vascular medicine as a specialty. The SVM leadership event on Thursday night started with an open-air double decker bus tour of Philadelphia including a photo stop at the Rocky statue(s) ( the original and Sylvester Stallone’s!) and ended with a dinner at the historic Reading Terminal Market. I can’t think of a better way show our gratitude for our committee chairs, leaders, and staff for the many volunteer hours they invest into SVM. As usual, Cases on the Rocks, featuring Drs. Joshua Beckman and Stanislav Henkin as panelists, was all at once educational, controversial, intellectually stimulating, exciting, and entertaining. I’m always in awe of the brilliant clinical minds in our membership when I attend this session.
The hours devoted by Drs. Mitch Weinberg and Gaurav Parmar to bring the best Vascular Jeopardy session yet were not in vain. Congratulations to Dr. Alexandra Solomon for clinching this year’s title (and the right to claim “smartest vascular medicine physician in the world” until September 2026) and to Drs. Weinberg and Parmar for leveling up on their already solid bromance.
Sunday morning’s 5K walk and fun run in memory of Dr. William Hiatt was an amazing way to see the many iconic sites in Philly in person. Serendipitously, the Philadelphia Distance Run was the same morning, but I’m pretty certain SVM arranged the road closures and police guard for our 5K.
SVM Business Meeting
Dr. Elizabeth Ratchford’s inspirational Presidential Address detailed her journey within SVM and highlighted the productivity and many accomplishments of our Society over her term (1). SVM Treasurer Dr. Aditya Sharma reported on the financial health of our society. Secretary Dr. Daniella Kadian-Dodov reported that our membership is now comprised of 726 members from 45 states and 22 countries. The new slate of SVM Board of Trustees weas elected: Jay Bishop, MD, FSVM (second term); Aaron Aday, MD, FSVM; and Naomi Hamburg, MD, MSVM. For the next year, I will serve as SVM President, with Dr. Aditya Sharma as President-Elect and VSS2026 Program Chair, Dr. Eric Secemsky as Treasurer, and Dr. Daniella Kadian-Dodov as Secretary. We also recognized outgoing trustee, Dr. Yogen Kanthi, for his service on the board. Drs. Jay Bishop and Junyang Lou discussed the 2025 Practice and Compensation Survey, and Dr. Alexandra Solomon provided an update on the Michael R. Jaff Fellows Leadership Institute, led by herself, Dr. Naomi Hamburg, and Dr. Yulanka Castro Dominguez. Dr. Teresa Carman provided an update on the American Board of Vascular Medicine (ABVM) and the maintenance of certification initiative. Dr. Joshua Beckman presented an update on specialty recognition on behalf of the SVM Specialty Recognition Task Force, and I provided an update on the proposed American Board of Cardiovascular Medicine (ABCVM) as a representative of the board. We also recognized Dr. Herb Aronow, MD, MPH, MSVM with a special award, the “Perpetual Leader Award” for his tireless service as the longest serving SVM President/Past-President and for seeing our society through the COVID years.
In closing, I want to once again thank the VSS2025 Program Committee and our incredible team at Veritas. Philadelphia was a meeting to remember, and I am certain the meeting in Atlanta next September (VSS2026) led by Dr. Aditya Sharma will be even better.