July 2007 | Vol. 25, No. 7

SVU 30th Anniversary Annual Conference
a Big Success

If you were not in Baltimore, you missed the energy and excitement at the Society for Vascular Ultrasound's 30th Anniversary Annual Conference as more than 450 attendees experienced a multidisciplinary educational program and extensive exhibition. The 2007 SVU Annual Conference took place June 7-9, 2007 at the Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD. It was a great educational opportunity for registrants and offered an exhibition with almost 150 exhibitors. SVU 2007 Annual Conference attendees traveled from 38 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 8 other countries — Australia, Brazil, Canada, Iceland, Israel, Portugal, South Korea and the United Kingdom.

For the fourth time in a row, SVU's Annual Conference was held in conjunction with the annual scientific meetings of the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS), the Peripheral Vascular Surgery Society (PVSS), the Society for Vascular Medicine and Biology (SVMB), and the Society for Vascular Nursing, which joined the meeting this year. With almost 2000 attendees from all five societies, this was the vascular event of the year!

Pre-conference attendees enjoyed a popular "ICAVL Accreditation Workshop"and an "Abdominal Vascular Lecture/Workshop." More than 80 other attendees also chose to attend a day-long SVU "Special Vascular Laboratory Testing and Management Course" on June 6.

The scope and timeliness of the general session topics by several new speakers at the 2007 SVU Annual Conference excited and engrossed the meeting attendees. Initial feedback from the attendees was very positive, many stating that it was one of the best annual conferences programs ever. The SVU Annual Conference Program Committee, Chaired by Paula Heggerick, BS RVT RDMS FSVU, and Co-Chair Kathleen Carter, BSN RN RVT FSVU, achieved a great accomplishment with the 2007 program. Congratulations to all for a very successful 2007 Annual Conference.

Clockwise from top left: SVU President Melissa Vickery speaks at the Annual Business Meeting; Dave Parlato, Chair of the Advocacy Committee, moderates the Government Relations Panel with Anne Jones, Dr. Robert Zwolak, and Dr. Cliff Sales (not pictured is Bill Sarraille); Susan Murphey gives an interesting demonstration on vascular ergonomics; dancers at the 30th Anniversary Gala Reception have a great time dancing to "YMCA"; Treasurer and Membership Committee Chair Debbie Pirt speaks at the Annual Business Meeting while Vice President Michel Comeaux (left) and Secretary Judy Fried (right) look on; and attendees review the many vascular posters on display at the Annual Conference.

2007 SVU Annual Conference highlights included:

• Nine early morning tutorials
• SVU President's State of the Society Report
• Special recognition of Founding Members, Past Presidents, and Fellows
• Gene Strandness, MD, Scientific Abstracts Session
• Alex Chao, MD, Young Investigators Scientific Abstracts Session
• Invited Speakers Sessions on Neurovascular, Endovascular, and Hemodialysis
• Three special "Lunch with the Experts Sessions"
• Special Ergonomics in Sonography Session
• Government Relations Session
• Interesting Case Studies Session
• Oral Clinical Abstract Session
• Hot Topics in Vascular Lab Management Session
• Special Venous Interventional Therapeutic/Venous Ablation session sponsored by the American College of Phlebology
• Six Different Skills Lab Session
• Hemodialysis Access Session
• Poster Session
• The annual SVU Business Meeting was a great source of information for members
• Induction of five SVU Fellows, and
• Election of four new Officers and three Board Directors for 2008

An Annual Conference highlight was a special historical display room which showed six special SVU historical banners that summarized SVU's 30 years of service to the vascular ultrasound profession in 5 year periods, as well as special signs reflecting the news, sports and style headlines from 1977, the year the society was formed, as well as several photo albums and loose photos. Special thanks to the 30th Anniversary Subcommittee, chaired by Pat Marques, for a great job.

Excitement was especially high around the presentation of several key SVU awards including the first new Professional Achievement Award presented to Jean Primozich, the Dr. Alex Chao - Young Investigators Award presented to Dr. Andrew Dueck of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the Dr. D.E. Strandness Award presented to Sheila Byrd-Raynor of London, England. See related articles in this newsletter on the recipients of these awards and the many other service and scientific awards presented in Baltimore.

Another highlight of the 30th Anniversary Annual Conference was the 30th Anniversary Gala Reception on Friday evening, June 8, at the Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel where almost 200 people ate a wonderful dinner, enjoyed a variety of liquid refreshments and desserts, enjoyed a special visit and performance by Sonny & Cher impersonators, and danced to 11 pm to a DJ playing great songs from the 1970's through today. Special thanks to Joanne Drago of the 30th Anniversary Subcommittee for her wonderful gala reception decorations, and to Michael Sampson, also of the 30th Anniversary Subcommittee, for arranging for the DJ and the special visit and performance by the Sonny & Cher impersonators.

SVU looks forward with great anticipation to SVU's 2008 Annual Conference, June 5-7, 2008 in San Diego at the San Diego Convention Center. A 2008 Call for Papers brochure is available at the SVU website: http://www.svunet.org/annual_conference/08/2008CallforPapers.pdf. Abstract submission deadline for the 2008 SVU Annual Conference is February 1, 2008.