VDF's annual meeting to discuss latest information in vascular disease

The Vascular Disease Foundation (VDF) is pleased to announce that Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be the keynote speaker at its annual meeting, "Current Issues in Vascular Disease" September 14-15 in McLean, VA.

A group of nationally recognized experts from VDF will be engaging in discussions on the hottest topics in vascular disease with a particular focus in the areas of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), both acute and chronic venous disease, and how to make a difference for patients in one's community.

Dr. Frieden will be speaking on smoking cessation and the public health issue of smoking on September 15th. In addition to Dr. Frieden's presentation, Dr. Jeffrey Wigand will also be presenting on the same topic. Wigand is the tobacco industry whistleblower who helped the U.S. government in its tobacco settlement case. He was featured on a story on "60 Minutes" and as the character depicted by Russell Crowe in the movie "The Insider."

Other featured speakers include Matt Logelin, author of "Two Kisses for Maddy" who will be will be sharing his personal experience with DVT/PE and Dr. Thom Rooke will be offering the closing presentation "Everything I know about Vascular Disease, I learned from a Children's Book."

"VDF is committed to reducing smoking. This is an area that is paramount not only for good vascular health, but the overall health of Americans," said Robert McLafferty, MD and president of VDF. "We are delighted about our line-up of speakers this year which includes Drs. Frieden and Wigand to raise the awareness of smoking cessation. We are also very pleased to have Matt Logelin join us to share his personal story of losing his wife to a deadly blood clot called a pulmonary embolism (PE). Mr. Logelin is a New York Times best-selling author who in the same day became a new dad and a widower when his wife died suddenly from a PE. He will be speaking about his experience of raising a daughter on his own after the loss of his wife."

VDF's annual meeting will bring together health care providers and organizations with a stake in the care of patients with vascular disease. Presentations include the latest information in vascular disease in the areas of:

•Chronic Venous Disease Initiative to prevent Post Thrombotic Syndrome
•Critical Limb Ischemia Task Force
•VDF Strategic Initiatives
•New Vascular Disease Awareness Campaign Unveiled
•Creating credible awareness for New Treatments/Trends in VTE and PAD
•Smoking Cessation in PAD/CV Patients—What Works and Why
•"This Is Serious"—Year 2 of Centers for Disease Control National Program on the Prevention of DVT in Women
•Peripheral Arterial Disease Coalition—Highlights and Plans
•Venous Disease Coalition—Highlights and Plans