Society News

The AGA Research Foundation has funded more than $50 million in research funding since its inception in 1984. Gifts from AGA members have helped fuel discoveries in the GI field. The most generous of AGA members are our Legacy Society members.

Members of the AGA Legacy Society provide tax-deductible gifts to the AGA Research Foundation of $5,000 or more per year for 5 years ($25,000 total) or $50,000 or more in a planned gift, such as a bequest. Legacy Society member donations directly support young GI investigators as they establish independent research careers.

“The support of the AGA Research Foundation indicates that our peers share in our enthusiasm for research and gives me and my group added confidence to pursue questions about the pathology of IBD. Our overall plan is to translate this work into key components of larger federally funded grants in the near future,” states David L. Boone, PhD, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, 2017 AGA Research Foundation Pilot Research Award grant recipient.

Donors, who make gifts at the Legacy Society level before Digestive Disease Week^® (DDW), will receive an invitation to the annual Benefactors’ Dinner, which will be held at the San Diego Wine and Culinary Center this year. Individuals interested in learning more about Legacy Society membership may contact Stacey Hinton Tuneski, Senior Director of Development at [email protected] or via phone (301) 222-4005. More information on the AGA Legacy Society including the current roster and acceptance form is available on the foundation’s web site.

A celebration of research support

Beginning with a memorable gathering at the United States Library of Congress in 2007, the AGA Benefactors’ Dinner has welcomed members of the AGA Legacy Society and other AGA dignitaries to special locations nationwide. The San Diego Wine and Culinary Center will be the location of the 2019 AGA Research Foundation Benefactors’ Dinner during DDW^® in San Diego. Located near the convention center, the San Diego Wine and Culinary Center feels worlds away and will allow guests to relax and enjoy time with friends. Members of the AGA Legacy Society will be among the distinguished honorees at the annual event.

[email protected]

The AGA Research Foundation has funded more than $50 million in research funding since its inception in 1984. Gifts from AGA members have helped fuel discoveries in the GI field. The most generous of AGA members are our Legacy Society members.

Members of the AGA Legacy Society provide tax-deductible gifts to the AGA Research Foundation of $5,000 or more per year for 5 years ($25,000 total) or $50,000 or more in a planned gift, such as a bequest. Legacy Society member donations directly support young GI investigators as they establish independent research careers.

“The support of the AGA Research Foundation indicates that our peers share in our enthusiasm for research and gives me and my group added confidence to pursue questions about the pathology of IBD. Our overall plan is to translate this work into key components of larger federally funded grants in the near future,” states David L. Boone, PhD, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, 2017 AGA Research Foundation Pilot Research Award grant recipient.

Donors, who make gifts at the Legacy Society level before Digestive Disease Week^® (DDW), will receive an invitation to the annual Benefactors’ Dinner, which will be held at the San Diego Wine and Culinary Center this year. Individuals interested in learning more about Legacy Society membership may contact Stacey Hinton Tuneski, Senior Director of Development at [email protected] or via phone (301) 222-4005. More information on the AGA Legacy Society including the current roster and acceptance form is available on the foundation’s web site.

A celebration of research support

Beginning with a memorable gathering at the United States Library of Congress in 2007, the AGA Benefactors’ Dinner has welcomed members of the AGA Legacy Society and other AGA dignitaries to special locations nationwide. The San Diego Wine and Culinary Center will be the location of the 2019 AGA Research Foundation Benefactors’ Dinner during DDW^® in San Diego. Located near the convention center, the San Diego Wine and Culinary Center feels worlds away and will allow guests to relax and enjoy time with friends. Members of the AGA Legacy Society will be among the distinguished honorees at the annual event.

[email protected]

The AGA Research Foundation has funded more than $50 million in research funding since its inception in 1984. Gifts from AGA members have helped fuel discoveries in the GI field. The most generous of AGA members are our Legacy Society members.

Members of the AGA Legacy Society provide tax-deductible gifts to the AGA Research Foundation of $5,000 or more per year for 5 years ($25,000 total) or $50,000 or more in a planned gift, such as a bequest. Legacy Society member donations directly support young GI investigators as they establish independent research careers.

“The support of the AGA Research Foundation indicates that our peers share in our enthusiasm for research and gives me and my group added confidence to pursue questions about the pathology of IBD. Our overall plan is to translate this work into key components of larger federally funded grants in the near future,” states David L. Boone, PhD, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, 2017 AGA Research Foundation Pilot Research Award grant recipient.

Donors, who make gifts at the Legacy Society level before Digestive Disease Week^® (DDW), will receive an invitation to the annual Benefactors’ Dinner, which will be held at the San Diego Wine and Culinary Center this year. Individuals interested in learning more about Legacy Society membership may contact Stacey Hinton Tuneski, Senior Director of Development at [email protected] or via phone (301) 222-4005. More information on the AGA Legacy Society including the current roster and acceptance form is available on the foundation’s web site.

A celebration of research support

Beginning with a memorable gathering at the United States Library of Congress in 2007, the AGA Benefactors’ Dinner has welcomed members of the AGA Legacy Society and other AGA dignitaries to special locations nationwide. The San Diego Wine and Culinary Center will be the location of the 2019 AGA Research Foundation Benefactors’ Dinner during DDW^® in San Diego. Located near the convention center, the San Diego Wine and Culinary Center feels worlds away and will allow guests to relax and enjoy time with friends. Members of the AGA Legacy Society will be among the distinguished honorees at the annual event.

[email protected]

AGA launched the IBD Parenthood Project to address misperceptions and fears women with inflammatory bowel disease and their health care providers experience throughout all phases of family planning. This patient-directed initiative, which was created by gastroenterologists, maternal-fetal medicine subspecialists and patients, is led by AGA with support from the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, and patient support network, Girls With Guts.

Health care providers are encouraged to visit the program’s new website, www.IBDParenthoodProject.org, which houses medical facts about IBD and pregnancy and share it with their patients. The website provides answers to common questions and provides a downloadable patient toolkit that features visual and patient-friendly information. Resources include easy-to-digest lists of key questions to ask a provider as women are thinking of becoming pregnant, a flow diagram outlining the various HCPs potentially involved in a woman’s care, a guide to postnatal care and provider locator tools. These tools are a direct response to AGA survey findings that reported women with IBD want more and better information about managing their disease (BabyCenter. 2018. IBD and Preconception, Pregnancy, Early Motherhood).

[email protected]

AGA launched the IBD Parenthood Project to address misperceptions and fears women with inflammatory bowel disease and their health care providers experience throughout all phases of family planning. This patient-directed initiative, which was created by gastroenterologists, maternal-fetal medicine subspecialists and patients, is led by AGA with support from the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, and patient support network, Girls With Guts.

Health care providers are encouraged to visit the program’s new website, www.IBDParenthoodProject.org, which houses medical facts about IBD and pregnancy and share it with their patients. The website provides answers to common questions and provides a downloadable patient toolkit that features visual and patient-friendly information. Resources include easy-to-digest lists of key questions to ask a provider as women are thinking of becoming pregnant, a flow diagram outlining the various HCPs potentially involved in a woman’s care, a guide to postnatal care and provider locator tools. These tools are a direct response to AGA survey findings that reported women with IBD want more and better information about managing their disease (BabyCenter. 2018. IBD and Preconception, Pregnancy, Early Motherhood).

[email protected]

AGA launched the IBD Parenthood Project to address misperceptions and fears women with inflammatory bowel disease and their health care providers experience throughout all phases of family planning. This patient-directed initiative, which was created by gastroenterologists, maternal-fetal medicine subspecialists and patients, is led by AGA with support from the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, and patient support network, Girls With Guts.

Health care providers are encouraged to visit the program’s new website, www.IBDParenthoodProject.org, which houses medical facts about IBD and pregnancy and share it with their patients. The website provides answers to common questions and provides a downloadable patient toolkit that features visual and patient-friendly information. Resources include easy-to-digest lists of key questions to ask a provider as women are thinking of becoming pregnant, a flow diagram outlining the various HCPs potentially involved in a woman’s care, a guide to postnatal care and provider locator tools. These tools are a direct response to AGA survey findings that reported women with IBD want more and better information about managing their disease (BabyCenter. 2018. IBD and Preconception, Pregnancy, Early Motherhood).

[email protected]

AGA established its Center for Gut Microbiome Research and Education in 2012 as the microbiome was just beginning to explode in the scientific literature. I have been privileged to chair the center’s scientific advisory board over the last 3 years. As I enter my final few months in this role, I wanted to look ahead to the issues we’ve prioritized for 2019 – many of which build on our accomplishments in 2018.

Diet and nutrition

More than ever before, clinicians and patients appreciate that what we eat can have an important impact on our digestive health and our gut microbes. Recognizing the need for a stronger evidence base, the NIH developed a nutrition research strategic plan, which AGA wrote in support of late last year. We will continue providing updates on the latest advances in the new year. In March, AGA will host the eighth annual Gut Microbiota for Health World Summit in Miami, Florida. This continues our long-standing collaboration with the European Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility and the 2019 edition will focus on the interplay between what we eat and the microbes that live on and in us. Materials from the meeting will be made available through AGA’s educational platform, AGA University, later in the year.

Pro-, pre-, and synbiotics

Last fall, the center published its first two scientific statements on several important clinical studies on the gut microbiome. We collaborated with AGA’s GI Patient Center to issue patient-friendly resources on probiotics. Probiotics will continue to be a key topic for AGA guidance in 2019. In the spring issue of this newsletter, look for the first of a four-part educational series on prebiotics and digestive health. AGA also continues to develop a technical review and clinical guideline on the role of probiotics in the management of GI disease. A “first look” can be found on AGA’s clinical guidelines page under “Upcoming Guidelines.”

Microbiome-based diagnostics

As clinicians, we’ve experienced the growing popularity of direct-to-consumer genetic tests and questions from patients wanting to know what their results mean for existing or potential medical conditions. Inspired by discussions among clinicians within the AGA Community, scientific advisory board member Alexander Khoruts, MD, wrote a primer for clinicians on microbiome-based tests which was published recently; it was also disseminated through this newsletter and MedPage Today’s KevinMD.com. This issue will continue to be a challenge for researchers and clinicians as the research moves beyond correlation to causative relationships between our gut microbiome and human health and disease. The center will continue to provide guidance on this issue as the field evolves.

Microbiome-based therapeutics

The FMT National Registry announced the enrollment of its first patient this time last year. As it continues to recruit new sites, the registry’s steering committee (under the leadership of AGA members Colleen Kelly, MD, Loren Laine, MD, AGAF, and Gary Wu, MD, AGAF) will begin looking at data to develop an interim publication on lessons learned from the earliest-enrolled patients. FMT, of course, is the just the beginning of a revolution in microbiome-based therapeutics. As new pharmaceuticals targeting the gut microbiome advance in clinical trials, the center will help prepare health care professionals for what this will mean for their patients and their practices.

2019 promises to be another banner year in gut microbiome research. AGA and its Center for Gut Microbiome Research and Education will continue to provide evidence-based information and guidance on one of the most exciting emerging areas of science and medicine.


Dr. Hecht is professor of medicine and microbiology/immunology and chief, gastroenterology and nutrition, Loyola University Medical Center, and chair of the AGA Center for Gut Microbiome Research and Education scientific advisory board.
 

AGA established its Center for Gut Microbiome Research and Education in 2012 as the microbiome was just beginning to explode in the scientific literature. I have been privileged to chair the center’s scientific advisory board over the last 3 years. As I enter my final few months in this role, I wanted to look ahead to the issues we’ve prioritized for 2019 – many of which build on our accomplishments in 2018.

Diet and nutrition

More than ever before, clinicians and patients appreciate that what we eat can have an important impact on our digestive health and our gut microbes. Recognizing the need for a stronger evidence base, the NIH developed a nutrition research strategic plan, which AGA wrote in support of late last year. We will continue providing updates on the latest advances in the new year. In March, AGA will host the eighth annual Gut Microbiota for Health World Summit in Miami, Florida. This continues our long-standing collaboration with the European Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility and the 2019 edition will focus on the interplay between what we eat and the microbes that live on and in us. Materials from the meeting will be made available through AGA’s educational platform, AGA University, later in the year.

Pro-, pre-, and synbiotics

Last fall, the center published its first two scientific statements on several important clinical studies on the gut microbiome. We collaborated with AGA’s GI Patient Center to issue patient-friendly resources on probiotics. Probiotics will continue to be a key topic for AGA guidance in 2019. In the spring issue of this newsletter, look for the first of a four-part educational series on prebiotics and digestive health. AGA also continues to develop a technical review and clinical guideline on the role of probiotics in the management of GI disease. A “first look” can be found on AGA’s clinical guidelines page under “Upcoming Guidelines.”

Microbiome-based diagnostics

As clinicians, we’ve experienced the growing popularity of direct-to-consumer genetic tests and questions from patients wanting to know what their results mean for existing or potential medical conditions. Inspired by discussions among clinicians within the AGA Community, scientific advisory board member Alexander Khoruts, MD, wrote a primer for clinicians on microbiome-based tests which was published recently; it was also disseminated through this newsletter and MedPage Today’s KevinMD.com. This issue will continue to be a challenge for researchers and clinicians as the research moves beyond correlation to causative relationships between our gut microbiome and human health and disease. The center will continue to provide guidance on this issue as the field evolves.

Microbiome-based therapeutics

The FMT National Registry announced the enrollment of its first patient this time last year. As it continues to recruit new sites, the registry’s steering committee (under the leadership of AGA members Colleen Kelly, MD, Loren Laine, MD, AGAF, and Gary Wu, MD, AGAF) will begin looking at data to develop an interim publication on lessons learned from the earliest-enrolled patients. FMT, of course, is the just the beginning of a revolution in microbiome-based therapeutics. As new pharmaceuticals targeting the gut microbiome advance in clinical trials, the center will help prepare health care professionals for what this will mean for their patients and their practices.

2019 promises to be another banner year in gut microbiome research. AGA and its Center for Gut Microbiome Research and Education will continue to provide evidence-based information and guidance on one of the most exciting emerging areas of science and medicine.


Dr. Hecht is professor of medicine and microbiology/immunology and chief, gastroenterology and nutrition, Loyola University Medical Center, and chair of the AGA Center for Gut Microbiome Research and Education scientific advisory board.
 

AGA established its Center for Gut Microbiome Research and Education in 2012 as the microbiome was just beginning to explode in the scientific literature. I have been privileged to chair the center’s scientific advisory board over the last 3 years. As I enter my final few months in this role, I wanted to look ahead to the issues we’ve prioritized for 2019 – many of which build on our accomplishments in 2018.

Diet and nutrition

More than ever before, clinicians and patients appreciate that what we eat can have an important impact on our digestive health and our gut microbes. Recognizing the need for a stronger evidence base, the NIH developed a nutrition research strategic plan, which AGA wrote in support of late last year. We will continue providing updates on the latest advances in the new year. In March, AGA will host the eighth annual Gut Microbiota for Health World Summit in Miami, Florida. This continues our long-standing collaboration with the European Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility and the 2019 edition will focus on the interplay between what we eat and the microbes that live on and in us. Materials from the meeting will be made available through AGA’s educational platform, AGA University, later in the year.

Pro-, pre-, and synbiotics

Last fall, the center published its first two scientific statements on several important clinical studies on the gut microbiome. We collaborated with AGA’s GI Patient Center to issue patient-friendly resources on probiotics. Probiotics will continue to be a key topic for AGA guidance in 2019. In the spring issue of this newsletter, look for the first of a four-part educational series on prebiotics and digestive health. AGA also continues to develop a technical review and clinical guideline on the role of probiotics in the management of GI disease. A “first look” can be found on AGA’s clinical guidelines page under “Upcoming Guidelines.”

Microbiome-based diagnostics

As clinicians, we’ve experienced the growing popularity of direct-to-consumer genetic tests and questions from patients wanting to know what their results mean for existing or potential medical conditions. Inspired by discussions among clinicians within the AGA Community, scientific advisory board member Alexander Khoruts, MD, wrote a primer for clinicians on microbiome-based tests which was published recently; it was also disseminated through this newsletter and MedPage Today’s KevinMD.com. This issue will continue to be a challenge for researchers and clinicians as the research moves beyond correlation to causative relationships between our gut microbiome and human health and disease. The center will continue to provide guidance on this issue as the field evolves.

Microbiome-based therapeutics

The FMT National Registry announced the enrollment of its first patient this time last year. As it continues to recruit new sites, the registry’s steering committee (under the leadership of AGA members Colleen Kelly, MD, Loren Laine, MD, AGAF, and Gary Wu, MD, AGAF) will begin looking at data to develop an interim publication on lessons learned from the earliest-enrolled patients. FMT, of course, is the just the beginning of a revolution in microbiome-based therapeutics. As new pharmaceuticals targeting the gut microbiome advance in clinical trials, the center will help prepare health care professionals for what this will mean for their patients and their practices.

2019 promises to be another banner year in gut microbiome research. AGA and its Center for Gut Microbiome Research and Education will continue to provide evidence-based information and guidance on one of the most exciting emerging areas of science and medicine.


Dr. Hecht is professor of medicine and microbiology/immunology and chief, gastroenterology and nutrition, Loyola University Medical Center, and chair of the AGA Center for Gut Microbiome Research and Education scientific advisory board.
 

The PA Section is open to physician assistants who’ve demonstrated an active interest in the field of vascular surgery. It's intended to provide a professional home to all PAs working in vascular care settings. Since its inception, 138 PAs have joined the SVS as affiliate members - you could be next. March 1 is the first of four deadlines to apply for membership in 2019. Affiliate member benefits include PA-specific education at VAM, networking and peer mentoring opportunities, discounts on SVS events, a subscription to the Vascular Specialist newspaper and more. Click here for the full details. Contact the membership department at [email protected] or 312-334-2313 with any questions.

The PA Section is open to physician assistants who’ve demonstrated an active interest in the field of vascular surgery. It's intended to provide a professional home to all PAs working in vascular care settings. Since its inception, 138 PAs have joined the SVS as affiliate members - you could be next. March 1 is the first of four deadlines to apply for membership in 2019. Affiliate member benefits include PA-specific education at VAM, networking and peer mentoring opportunities, discounts on SVS events, a subscription to the Vascular Specialist newspaper and more. Click here for the full details. Contact the membership department at [email protected] or 312-334-2313 with any questions.

The PA Section is open to physician assistants who’ve demonstrated an active interest in the field of vascular surgery. It's intended to provide a professional home to all PAs working in vascular care settings. Since its inception, 138 PAs have joined the SVS as affiliate members - you could be next. March 1 is the first of four deadlines to apply for membership in 2019. Affiliate member benefits include PA-specific education at VAM, networking and peer mentoring opportunities, discounts on SVS events, a subscription to the Vascular Specialist newspaper and more. Click here for the full details. Contact the membership department at [email protected] or 312-334-2313 with any questions.

Reforming MOC is a priority for AGA so our comments were extensive. Here are three key points we made.

Recertification shouldn’t burden physicians

In an era of epidemic physician burnout threatening access to care from reductions in the physician workforce, we seek a recertification pathway that is not unnecessarily burdensome, while maintaining relevance to the practice of a matured, experienced clinician.

Requirements should be relevant to practice

Requirements need to be relevant to practice and able to be adopted by our physicians with minimal additional investment in an already overburdened practice environment. Physicians have a narrowly defined practice and that assessments and certification should be “tailored to a diplomate’s area of practice.” However, it is necessary that physicians have knowledge outside of a narrow subspecialty, and thus the specialty societies should help the Boards identify what constitutes the key “core knowledge, judgment and skills” for the specialty. It is AGA’s view that this knowledge should be much less detailed than the expectations for initial board certification.

Certification ≠ credential

The issue of continuous certification being misappropriated as an employment credential is not acceptable. AGA calls on the commission to make it unequivocally clear that board certification should not be used in any way as a requirement for hospital credentialing.

MOC is a hot topic on the AGA Community. We’re listening.

[email protected]

Reforming MOC is a priority for AGA so our comments were extensive. Here are three key points we made.

Recertification shouldn’t burden physicians

In an era of epidemic physician burnout threatening access to care from reductions in the physician workforce, we seek a recertification pathway that is not unnecessarily burdensome, while maintaining relevance to the practice of a matured, experienced clinician.

Requirements should be relevant to practice

Requirements need to be relevant to practice and able to be adopted by our physicians with minimal additional investment in an already overburdened practice environment. Physicians have a narrowly defined practice and that assessments and certification should be “tailored to a diplomate’s area of practice.” However, it is necessary that physicians have knowledge outside of a narrow subspecialty, and thus the specialty societies should help the Boards identify what constitutes the key “core knowledge, judgment and skills” for the specialty. It is AGA’s view that this knowledge should be much less detailed than the expectations for initial board certification.

Certification ≠ credential

The issue of continuous certification being misappropriated as an employment credential is not acceptable. AGA calls on the commission to make it unequivocally clear that board certification should not be used in any way as a requirement for hospital credentialing.

MOC is a hot topic on the AGA Community. We’re listening.

[email protected]

Reforming MOC is a priority for AGA so our comments were extensive. Here are three key points we made.

Recertification shouldn’t burden physicians

In an era of epidemic physician burnout threatening access to care from reductions in the physician workforce, we seek a recertification pathway that is not unnecessarily burdensome, while maintaining relevance to the practice of a matured, experienced clinician.

Requirements should be relevant to practice

Requirements need to be relevant to practice and able to be adopted by our physicians with minimal additional investment in an already overburdened practice environment. Physicians have a narrowly defined practice and that assessments and certification should be “tailored to a diplomate’s area of practice.” However, it is necessary that physicians have knowledge outside of a narrow subspecialty, and thus the specialty societies should help the Boards identify what constitutes the key “core knowledge, judgment and skills” for the specialty. It is AGA’s view that this knowledge should be much less detailed than the expectations for initial board certification.

Certification ≠ credential

The issue of continuous certification being misappropriated as an employment credential is not acceptable. AGA calls on the commission to make it unequivocally clear that board certification should not be used in any way as a requirement for hospital credentialing.

MOC is a hot topic on the AGA Community. We’re listening.

[email protected]

Complete your profile, post your first message, upload a resource or find another member – getting started has never been easier on SVSConnect. New “easy” buttons on the home page will help guide users as they begin activity on the online community. After getting started, you’ll be able to join discussions on hot topics, including carotid surveillance imaging or office based labs. Log in with your SVS credentials to begin. If you encounter sign-in difficulties, email [email protected] or call 312-334-2300.

Complete your profile, post your first message, upload a resource or find another member – getting started has never been easier on SVSConnect. New “easy” buttons on the home page will help guide users as they begin activity on the online community. After getting started, you’ll be able to join discussions on hot topics, including carotid surveillance imaging or office based labs. Log in with your SVS credentials to begin. If you encounter sign-in difficulties, email [email protected] or call 312-334-2300.

Complete your profile, post your first message, upload a resource or find another member – getting started has never been easier on SVSConnect. New “easy” buttons on the home page will help guide users as they begin activity on the online community. After getting started, you’ll be able to join discussions on hot topics, including carotid surveillance imaging or office based labs. Log in with your SVS credentials to begin. If you encounter sign-in difficulties, email [email protected] or call 312-334-2300.

Our “Vascular Spectacular” VAM Gala will be held Friday, June 14, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., site of our Vascular Annual Meeting. The event will be highlighted by both live and silent auctions. Anyone can participate in the Silent Auction, with bidding all done online. Tickets are $250 each, $150 of which is a tax-deductible donation. All proceeds will directly benefit the SVS Foundation and enable us to make greater progress in the fight against vascular diseases and improving patient care. For more information, contact SVS Development Manager Linda Maraba at 312-334-2352 or [email protected]. 

Our “Vascular Spectacular” VAM Gala will be held Friday, June 14, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., site of our Vascular Annual Meeting. The event will be highlighted by both live and silent auctions. Anyone can participate in the Silent Auction, with bidding all done online. Tickets are $250 each, $150 of which is a tax-deductible donation. All proceeds will directly benefit the SVS Foundation and enable us to make greater progress in the fight against vascular diseases and improving patient care. For more information, contact SVS Development Manager Linda Maraba at 312-334-2352 or [email protected]. 

Our “Vascular Spectacular” VAM Gala will be held Friday, June 14, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., site of our Vascular Annual Meeting. The event will be highlighted by both live and silent auctions. Anyone can participate in the Silent Auction, with bidding all done online. Tickets are $250 each, $150 of which is a tax-deductible donation. All proceeds will directly benefit the SVS Foundation and enable us to make greater progress in the fight against vascular diseases and improving patient care. For more information, contact SVS Development Manager Linda Maraba at 312-334-2352 or [email protected]. 

The SVS Foundation has announced that its patient fliers project is completed, and fliers are now available free to members. Nine vascular topics are addressed in updated fliers, including Carotid Artery Disease, Diabetes, Peripheral Arterial Disease, and more. These were redesigned to be useful in a patient waiting room, or to hand to a patient during an office visit. They are available in both English and Spanish, and can be found on the SVS website here.

The SVS Foundation has announced that its patient fliers project is completed, and fliers are now available free to members. Nine vascular topics are addressed in updated fliers, including Carotid Artery Disease, Diabetes, Peripheral Arterial Disease, and more. These were redesigned to be useful in a patient waiting room, or to hand to a patient during an office visit. They are available in both English and Spanish, and can be found on the SVS website here.

The SVS Foundation has announced that its patient fliers project is completed, and fliers are now available free to members. Nine vascular topics are addressed in updated fliers, including Carotid Artery Disease, Diabetes, Peripheral Arterial Disease, and more. These were redesigned to be useful in a patient waiting room, or to hand to a patient during an office visit. They are available in both English and Spanish, and can be found on the SVS website here.

Steven Q. Simpson, MD, FCCP, is a pulmonologist and intensivist with an extensive background in sepsis and in critical care quality improvement. Dr. Simpson acts as a CHEST Regent-at-Large of the Board of Regents, board liaison for the Guidelines Oversight Committee, sits on numerous board task forces and subcommittees and is a member of the CHEST SEEK Critical Care Medicine Editorial Board. He will serve as CHEST President for the 2020-2021 term.

Dr. Simpson is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Kansas. He is also senior advisor to the Solving Sepsis initiative of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services. He has conducted research in all areas of severe sepsis, including molecular and cellular mechanisms, translational, quality improvement, and computer modeling studies. He was a founder in 2005 of the Midwest Critical Care Collaborative, a multidisciplinary and interprofessional collaborative effort to improve the quality of critical care services throughout the Midwest. In 2007, he initiated the Kansas Sepsis Project, a statewide program to improve severe sepsis care and outcomes via continuing education both in sepsis and in quality improvement principles and via interprofessional collaborations. Dr. Simpson is an author of the 2016 and 2020 updates of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines. He is a member of the board of directors and Chief Medical Officer of Sepsis Alliance, a nationwide patient information and advocacy organization.

During his tenure at the University of New Mexico, he contributed to the discovery of a particular form of sepsis, the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and published numerous papers on the clinical description, the hemodynamic description, and the approach to supportive care for patients with the syndrome, including extracorporeal hemodynamic and oxygenation support. Dr. Simpson has authored over 180 scientific articles, book chapters, editorials, abstracts and electronic media publications. He was awarded the 2009 Eli Lilly Distinguished Scholar in Critical Care Medicine Award of the American College of Chest Physicians and the 2013 Roger C. Bone Memorial Lecture in Critical Care Medicine, which recognizes career contributions to the field. He has also been recognized as a Distinguished CHEST Educator in 2017 and 2018.
 

Steven Q. Simpson, MD, FCCP, is a pulmonologist and intensivist with an extensive background in sepsis and in critical care quality improvement. Dr. Simpson acts as a CHEST Regent-at-Large of the Board of Regents, board liaison for the Guidelines Oversight Committee, sits on numerous board task forces and subcommittees and is a member of the CHEST SEEK Critical Care Medicine Editorial Board. He will serve as CHEST President for the 2020-2021 term.

Dr. Simpson is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Kansas. He is also senior advisor to the Solving Sepsis initiative of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services. He has conducted research in all areas of severe sepsis, including molecular and cellular mechanisms, translational, quality improvement, and computer modeling studies. He was a founder in 2005 of the Midwest Critical Care Collaborative, a multidisciplinary and interprofessional collaborative effort to improve the quality of critical care services throughout the Midwest. In 2007, he initiated the Kansas Sepsis Project, a statewide program to improve severe sepsis care and outcomes via continuing education both in sepsis and in quality improvement principles and via interprofessional collaborations. Dr. Simpson is an author of the 2016 and 2020 updates of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines. He is a member of the board of directors and Chief Medical Officer of Sepsis Alliance, a nationwide patient information and advocacy organization.

During his tenure at the University of New Mexico, he contributed to the discovery of a particular form of sepsis, the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and published numerous papers on the clinical description, the hemodynamic description, and the approach to supportive care for patients with the syndrome, including extracorporeal hemodynamic and oxygenation support. Dr. Simpson has authored over 180 scientific articles, book chapters, editorials, abstracts and electronic media publications. He was awarded the 2009 Eli Lilly Distinguished Scholar in Critical Care Medicine Award of the American College of Chest Physicians and the 2013 Roger C. Bone Memorial Lecture in Critical Care Medicine, which recognizes career contributions to the field. He has also been recognized as a Distinguished CHEST Educator in 2017 and 2018.
 

Steven Q. Simpson, MD, FCCP, is a pulmonologist and intensivist with an extensive background in sepsis and in critical care quality improvement. Dr. Simpson acts as a CHEST Regent-at-Large of the Board of Regents, board liaison for the Guidelines Oversight Committee, sits on numerous board task forces and subcommittees and is a member of the CHEST SEEK Critical Care Medicine Editorial Board. He will serve as CHEST President for the 2020-2021 term.

Dr. Simpson is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Kansas. He is also senior advisor to the Solving Sepsis initiative of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services. He has conducted research in all areas of severe sepsis, including molecular and cellular mechanisms, translational, quality improvement, and computer modeling studies. He was a founder in 2005 of the Midwest Critical Care Collaborative, a multidisciplinary and interprofessional collaborative effort to improve the quality of critical care services throughout the Midwest. In 2007, he initiated the Kansas Sepsis Project, a statewide program to improve severe sepsis care and outcomes via continuing education both in sepsis and in quality improvement principles and via interprofessional collaborations. Dr. Simpson is an author of the 2016 and 2020 updates of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines. He is a member of the board of directors and Chief Medical Officer of Sepsis Alliance, a nationwide patient information and advocacy organization.

During his tenure at the University of New Mexico, he contributed to the discovery of a particular form of sepsis, the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and published numerous papers on the clinical description, the hemodynamic description, and the approach to supportive care for patients with the syndrome, including extracorporeal hemodynamic and oxygenation support. Dr. Simpson has authored over 180 scientific articles, book chapters, editorials, abstracts and electronic media publications. He was awarded the 2009 Eli Lilly Distinguished Scholar in Critical Care Medicine Award of the American College of Chest Physicians and the 2013 Roger C. Bone Memorial Lecture in Critical Care Medicine, which recognizes career contributions to the field. He has also been recognized as a Distinguished CHEST Educator in 2017 and 2018.
 

Physicians’ time is decreasingly their own, and, yet, keeping abreast of clinical literature is increasingly more important. The journal CHEST has introduced a new feature aimed at easing that task and broadening the reach of journal content: visual abstracts.

Physicians’ time is decreasingly their own, and, yet, keeping abreast of clinical literature is increasingly more important. The journal CHEST has introduced a new feature aimed at easing that task and broadening the reach of journal content: visual abstracts.

Physicians’ time is decreasingly their own, and, yet, keeping abreast of clinical literature is increasingly more important. The journal CHEST has introduced a new feature aimed at easing that task and broadening the reach of journal content: visual abstracts.