2024 Fall Newsletter

---

President’s Message 

Dear Colleagues,

As Fall fades and Winter brings back our snowbirds, I hope that everyone has recovered from our painful hurricane season. I look forward to seeing you in calmer times this coming Spring.

The 38^th Annual meeting of our Florida Vascular Society will be held April 24-27, 2025, at the Conrad Orlando. I anticipate the usual intellectually stimulating environment, and I am looking forward to the participation of our Visiting Professors Caitlin W. Hicks, MD, MS from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; Niten Singh, MD from University of Washington; and David H. Stone, MD from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. The academic program, curated by Dr. Scali and the program committee, promises to be dynamic. One of the highlights of this year’s meeting will be the Seegar Symposium, which I am thrilled to announce will be presented in a debate format! We will debate a series of critical issues in our specialty, and I expect some lively audience participation.

I am also excited to announce that we are working with Penumbra to have hands-on sessions with their simulators. There will be several platforms available; I am most looking forward to getting more facile with embolotherapy techniques. It is important for us to keep new procedures like geniculate artery embolization within our domain.

I am confident that our Spring meeting will be a valuable opportunity for networking, learning, and collaboration. Your presence and participation will enrich the overall experience for everyone. I plan to reach out to a few of our senior members to present a career “Best Case” or a career “Worst Case.” Your experience is a tremendous asset to the Society and sharing your cases will be a bonus for all of us.

One of the unique facets of the FVS is our inclusion of students and trainees in our academic program, so please encourage your mentees to present their work at our meeting. It is a terrific way to introduce trainees to the rigors of writing a paper and giving an oral presentation to a live audience. Our Foundation supports your mentees, our next generation, with travel scholarships and it funds our four awards. We want to show them the support our Society can offer. I recognize that we are burdened with rising medical staff and society membership dues, but I ask you to consider a $250 donation to our Foundation when you register for the meeting. The money we give to our Foundation is poured back into our future. Please go to the FVS website to register for our 38^th Annual Meeting and book your room at Conrad Orlando.

It has been an honor to serve as your President this year. Thank you for your continuing support of the FVS. I look forward to seeing you in April.

---

2025 Scientific Sessions Program Report

Join us for the FVS 38th Annual Scientific Sessions from April 24-27, 2025, at the Conrad in Orlando, Florida. This event brings the Florida Vascular Society together to discuss the latest advancements and research in vascular disease.

We are excited to welcome our 3 visiting professors for the 2025 Annual Meeting:

Caitlin W. Hicks MD, MS

Caitlin W. Hicks MD, MS is an Associate Professor of Surgery in the Division of Vascular Surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Hicks is the Associate Fellowship Director for the Johns Hopkins Vascular Surgery Fellowship and the Director of Research for the Johns Hopkins Diabetic Foot and Wound Clinic. She is also the Director of the Johns Hopkins Department of Surgery Center for Outcomes Research. Her clinical practice focuses on carotid disease, open and endovascular aortic surgery, and complex limb salvage. Her research interests the epidemiology of lower extremity disease and value-based care in vascular surgery. The overarching goal of her work is to better define patients who will benefit from vascular interventions, and to optimize patient care and improve overall patient outcomes. Dr. Hicks has a K23 research award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to study lower extremity disease in adults with diabetes. She was also recently awarded an R03 award from NIDDK, and currently has career development grants from the American College of Surgery and the Society for Vascular Surgery. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Seminars in Vascular Surgery, an Editor of Surgery and Annals of Vascular Surgery, and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Vascular Surgery and Annals of Surgery. She has published more than 250 peer-reviewed publications to date.

Niten Singh, MD

Dr. Niten Singh is a board-certified vascular surgeon. His clinical interests include lower extremity interventions, aortic aneurysms, vascular trauma, and popliteal entrapment syndrome. Dr. Singh earned his medical degree at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, and completed a surgical residency at Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, HI. He then completed a vascular surgery fellowship at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, affiliated with Georgetown University, Washington, DC.

In 2013, Dr. Singh joined the faculty at University of Washington. Previously, Dr. Singh served 16 years in the United States Army, most recently as Chief of Endovascular Surgery at Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, WA. He served two combat tours in Iraq and garnered military honors including the Bronze Star Medal. He has extensive experience with vascular trauma and complex lower extremity arterial disease.

Dr. Singh’s research interests include interventions for lower extremity arterial disease, aortic aneurysms, vascular trauma, and vascular education. He has been an invited speaker at many national and international meetings on these topics. He has participated in numerous clinical trials and has authored more than 100 publications, as well as more than 30 book chapters.

Dr. Singh is a distinguished Fellow of the Society for Vascular Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is the founder and Program Chair of the Pacific Northwest Endovascular Conference (PNEC) and a past president of the Pacific Northwest Vascular Society. He is also a board member of Vascular InterVentional Advances (VIVA). In addition, he is a distinguished reviewer of the Journal of Vascular Surgery and serves on the editorial board of the Annals of Vascular Surgery.

David H. Stone, MD

David Stone, MD is currently the Program Director for the integrated vascular surgery residency and fellowship programs at Dartmouth. He is also currently the Section Chief of Vascular Surgery at the White River Junction VA Medical Center. Dr. Stone joined the faculty at Dartmouth in 2007 and is currently Professor of Surgery at the Geisel School of Medicine.

Dr. Stone grew up in Great Neck, NY and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1993. He also attended St. Edmund Hall, Oxford University where he studied literature. After college, he received his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine. He did his General Surgery training at NYU/Bellevue Medical Center and did an additional two years of training as a Harvard Longwood research fellow in Vascular Surgery. He then completed his clinical fellowship in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital, finishing in 2006.

Professionally, Dr. Stone is interested in both open and endovascular repair of aortic aneurysms, carotid occlusive disease and lower extremity peripheral arterial disease. He is a busy health services researcher focused on outcome disparities. He has been a PI and participant in several clinical trials, published numerous articles and book chapters, and currently serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Vascular Surgery. He actively teaches fellows, residents, and medical students at Dartmouth.

---

Foundation Report

Dear Fellow Vascular Specialists,

I write this update hoping in my heart that you have been spared major physical, financial, psychological, and spiritual losses from this punishing hurricane season. The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season brought 5 hurricanes (Beryl, Debby, Francine, Helene, and Milton) that had significant impacts on our state, with two that came ashore as major (category 3 or greater) storms. Our coastal communities and inland areas both had widespread damage and disruptions. Despite all this, Floridians showed their resilience as they quickly mobilized for recovery efforts. We were no different. So many of us helped our neighbors as well as our patients. We also found time to check on each other. It was wonderful to see so many of you reach out, as well as hearing about each of you reaching out to each other. We indeed are a community and a family amongst ourselves.

We had a great meeting in Orlando this past Spring. It was great to learn, interact, catch up, and relax with each other. The Foundation accomplished its goals by providing a venue and program where these activities may be realized. The Florida Vascular Foundation, since its inception in 2008, has worked as a not-for-profit entity to promote education among the vascular surgeons in Florida. The Foundation also works to promote educational programs and awareness of vascular disease states to other physicians, advanced practice providers, allied health practitioners, nurses, and technologists, to drive better patient care. The Foundation promotes the field of vascular disease by introducing and enriching students and trainees to the breadth and depth of the specialty. What has motivated most students and trainees over the years, however, has been their interaction with the members of the Florida Vascular Society at the Annual Meeting. Many remember their experiences fondly. The support we provide in the form of scholarships and no cost registration has been critical to our mission.

I wish to congratulate the abstract award winners who presented at the 2024 Florida Vascular Society Scientific Sessions, supported by the Foundation:

• Jose “Pepe” Alvarez, Jr., MD Resident Award: Awarded for the best overall abstract and oral presentation for clinical or experimental work performed by residents of fellows in training – Hayley Carroll, MD, PGY2, Memorial Healthcare System
• JJ Karmacharya, MD Award: Awarded for the best abstract and oral presentation in aortic aneurysmal disease reconstruction and treatments – Christopher Montoya, MD, PYG5, University of Miami
• Mark L. Friedell, MD Award: Awarded for the best medical student abstract and oral presentation – Griffin Stinson, MS2, University of Florida
• Jeffrey M. Hertz, MD Memorial Award: Awarded for the best case report and oral presentation – Katrina Pardo, MS2, Florida International University

The abstract window for the 2025 meeting has closed. Scoring will begin soon, and we look forward to seeing more competitive young fellows and residents submitting their research. I hope to see all of you at our 2025 Annual Meeting at the Conrad in Orlando from April 24-27. Please mark your calendars and start requesting time off now!

Finally, I wish to extend my gratitude and deepest thanks to those who have contributed to the FVF. It is because of you; we can support abstract awards and more education. A couple, marked with asterisks, donated twice this year! Thank you to the following donors:

• • James Dennis
  • Paul Citrin
  • Chun Kevin Yang
  • Shonak Patel*
  • Juan Pereda
  • Arthur Palamara
  • Dean Arnaoutakis*
  • Jon Wesley
  • Inkyong Parrack
  • Bill Chang
  • Paul Armstrong
  • Murray Shames
  • Michele Taubman
  • Gustavo de Jesus
  • Eric Paluya
  • Salvatore Scali
  • Brett Almond

---

Membership Report

Dear Florida Vascular Society Members,

I am honored to have served as your Membership Chair again this past year. It has been incredible to watch the Florida Vascular Society (FVS) grow and thrive. The Membership Committee meets monthly to explore new ways to enhance our membership experience and expand categories and benefits for all members.

Renew Your Membership Today!

Dues season is upon us, and we encourage all members to renew promptly. We’ve made it even easier this year by offering AutoPay, streamlining the process for annual dues. While renewing, please also consider making a donation to the Florida Vascular Foundation to support our continued efforts.

Exclusive Member Benefit: Annals of Vascular Surgery Subscription

As a reminder, your membership includes access to the Annals of Vascular Surgery. Keep an eye on your inbox for a welcome email with instructions on how to access your subscription. Don’t miss out on this valuable resource!

Mark Your Calendar: 36th Annual Scientific Sessions

We’re excited to announce that the 36th Annual Scientific Sessions will take place April 24–27, 2025, at the Conrad in Orlando. It’s always a highlight of the year, and we hope to see everyone there!

FVS Membership Challenge

In an effort to grow our society, we’ve launched the FVS Membership Challenge. The member who recruits the most new applicants will receive a waived registration fee for this year’s annual meeting. We encourage everyone to participate and help grow our community!

Welcoming New Members: No Fees for Trainees

We’re thrilled to share that fellows, residents, and medical students can now join FVS without any membership or application fees. This initiative has already led to a surge of new applicants, and we encourage you to spread the word to physicians in training.

I am truly excited for what lies ahead in 2025 for the Florida Vascular Society. Thank you for being part of this amazing organization!

Welcome our newest FVS members who joined in 2024:

• Cachae Alford, MS – Medical Student
• Fabian Alvarez Macias, MS – Medical Student
• Erik Anderson, MD – Resident
• Michael Ayad, MD
• Jean Bismuth, MD
• Felipe Cadavid, MD
• Sarah Jane Commander, MD – Resident
• Mark Conant, MD
• Brandon Diaz, MD – Fellow
• Khal-Hentz Gabriel, MS – Medical Student
• Suren Jeevaratnam, MS – Medical Student
• Amin Mirzaie, MS – Medical Student
• Ali Karimi, MS – Medical Student
• Trung Nguyen, MD – Resident
• Rajavi Parikh, DO
• Rajan Ramdev, MS – Medical Student
• Samir Shah, MD
• Alyssa Standlick, MD – Resident
• Griffin Stinson, MS – Medical Student
• Carlos Valdes, MS – Medical Student