2006 SVU Awards Presented at 29th SVU Annual Conference in Philadelphia

LANHAM, MD, June 8, 2006 -- The Society for Vascular Ultrasound (SVU) presented the following awards at the 29th SVU Annual Conference during the 2006 Vascular Annual Meeting, June 1-3, 2006 in Philadelphia, PA.

SCIENTIFIC AWARDS

The SVU Pioneer Award was presented posthumously to D. Eugene (Gene) Hokanson, former President of D.E. Hokanson, Inc. His daughter Kyra Gray accepted the award on behalf of her father. Zonare Medical Systems sponsored this important award.

The SVU Pioneer Award, the highest scientific award presented by SVU since 1992, is dedicated in the memory of David Phillips, who contributed to the scientific field of vascular diagnostics with the development of duplex ultrasound and color flow Doppler technology. The award recognizes outstanding scientific research and contributions to the vascular ultrasound profession.

The Alex Chao, MD, Young Investigator's Award for excellence in a scientific research paper in vascular technology was presented to Xiu-Jie Wang, MD, Englewood Hospital & Medical Center, Englewood, NJ, for her scientific paper on "Determination of a Safe Target Zone for the Use of Endovenous Laser Therapy of the Small Saphenous Vein." First presented in 2004, this SVU award is named in honor of Dr. Alex Chao, a vascular surgeon who died suddenly in 2003 at the age of 37 of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) acquired from a patient he had treated in Singapore. The Dr. Alex Chao Award was sponsored for a third year by Philips Ultrasound in Bothell, WA.

The D.E. Strandness, MD, Scientific Award for the outstanding oral presentation of scientific research in vascular technology was presented to Kathryn Busch, DMU, Camperdown Vascular Lab, Camperdown, NSW, Australia, for her scientific paper on "High Resolution Duplex Ultrasound Imaging Proves a High Incidence of an Arterial Neovascularization." Parks Medical Electronics, Aloha, OR, sponsored the 2006 D.E. Strandness, MD Scientific Award. This award is named in honor of D.E. Strandness, the acknowledged "Father of Noninvasive Diagnosis," who died in January 2002.

Megan D. Hodge, RN RVT, Technical Director, Vascular Diagnostic Laboratory, The Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, won three awards. The first two awards were the Excellence in Oral Clinical Presentation Award sponsored by Navix Diagnostix, Inc. and t he Member First-Time Presenters Award for SVU Members sponsored by Red River Valley Vascular Society (RRVVS). Both awards were bestowed for her excellent presentation in the Clinical Oral Papers general session on "Continuous Ultrasound Contrast Infusion as an Adjunct to Color Duplex Ultrasound in the Assessment of Aortic Endografts."

POSTER AWARDS

There were three SVU poster awards given in Philadelphia :

An Excellence in Case Study Poster Presentation Award was the third award given to Megan D. Hodge, RN RVT, Technical Director, Vascular Diagnostic Lab, The Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, for her case study poster titled "Arteriovenous Malformation or Soft Tissue Tumor of Left Thigh Primary." Suncoast Society for Vascular Ultrasound (SSVU) sponsored this poster award.

Jenilee B. Thornton, Karmody Vascular Lab, The Vascular Group, Albany, NY, was presented with two poster awards. Both the Excellence in a Scientific Poster Presentation Award and the Best Student Poster Presentation Award were given to her for her poster on "Anatomic Distribution of the Carotid Bulb as Determined by Duplex Ultrasound." Both these awards were sponsored by DataStar Systems, Inc. of Crystal Lake, IL.

LEADERSHIP AWARD

George L. Berdejo, BA RVT FSVU, was presented with the 2006 SVU Leadership Award in recognition of his remarkable leadership and truly visionary work as SVU President (2004-2005) and for his participation on the Director of Directors. He is currently Technical Director at Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS

The Distinguished Service Award was established in 1987 and recognizes meritorious service by any SVU member.

William B. Schroedter, BS RVT FSVU, received a Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his meritorious service to SVU as Chair of the Government Relations Committee for several years and for his many other contributions to SVU and the Suncoast Society for Vascular Ultrasound. He is the Vice President and Technical Director of Quality Vascular Imaging, Inc. in Venice, FL.

CERTIFICATES OF APPRECIATION

The Certificate of Appreciation is bestowed upon individuals or groups in recognition of creative endeavor or outstanding achievement in promoting noninvasive vascular technology.

Robert B. Patterson, MD RVT received a Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of his ongoing promotion of vascular technology for many years and for being an ARDMS Item Writer for the RVT exam for 12 years. Dr. Patterson is a Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at Brown University, the Secretary / Treasurer of ARDMS, and his office is at the Providence Surgical Care Group Inc., Providence, RI.

Another Certificate of Appreciation was presented to Patricia (Tish) A. Poe, BA RVT RDCS, Manager, Vascular Lab, Vascular and Transplant Specialists, Hampton, VA, in recognition of her excellent work as Chair of the SVU Meetings Committee (2004-2006) and her commitment to enhanced and diverse regional vascular education programs, especially the successful Registered Physician in Vascular Interpretation (RPVI) Exam Review Course held by SVU.

Three New SVU Fellows Announced at Annual Conference

Fellows Subcommittee Chair Michel Comeaux, RN BSN RVT RDMS FSVU, announced the selection of three new SVU Fellows for 2006. Fellows are SVU members recognized for their many outstanding contributions to the Society as well as to the vascular ultrasound profession. They are considered a unique resource for the Society in terms on promoting the benefits of SVU membership to others in the vascular ultrasound profession, and in supporting the many other efforts of the Society.

New 2006 SVU Fellows are:

•  Judith A. Fried, CVN RN RVT FSVU
Ultrasound Supervisor, Mid Dakota Clinic, Bismark, ND

•  Carol L. Miranda, RDMS RVT RDCS FSVU
Technical Director, Vascular Lab, Cardiovascular Associates of Virginia, PC, Richmond, VA

•  Michael W. Schwebler, MBA RVT FSVU
Chief Operating Officer, Midwest Ultrasound, Kenwood, OH

CHAPTER AWARDS

The North Jersey Vascular Association (NJVA) was presented with the 2006 Outstanding SVU Affiliated Chapter Recognition Award in recognition of their growth to 160 members and for its continued support of SVU's membership efforts. Accepting for the NJVA was Chapter President Jeanette Flannery, RVT RDMS.

The 2006 SVU Outstanding SVU Affiliated Chapter Individual Recognition Award was presented to Kathleen Garcia, BS RVT RDCS, from League City, TX, in recognition of her outstanding work as President of the Houston Society of Noninvasive Vascular Technology Chapter. She is an active speaker, mentors a sonography program at Alvin College, develops educational meetings for her Chapter, and performs vascular research at NASA.

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SVU looks forward with great anticipation to next year's 30th Anniversary SVU Annual Conference on June 7-9, 2007 in Baltimore, MD. For more information on SVU and its educational meetings, see www.svunet.org.