VDF presents 2010 awards at seventh annual meeting

The Vascular Disease Foundation (VDF) presented its annual awards at the organization's seventh annual meeting in Alexandria, VA. The awards honor the work of citizens, health care providers, organizations, researchers and companies that have enhanced the understanding and/or treatment of peripheral vascular diseases.

The prestigious Julius H. Jacobson II MD Award for Physician Excellence, which recognizes outstanding contributions to physician education, leadership, or patient care in vascular disease, was presented to Jack L. Cronenwett, MD, Professor of Surgery at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

Dr. Cronenwett was one of the pioneers of vascular medicine and a premier educator in the field who trained an entire generation of vascular medicine fellows. He ran a Vascular Surgery fellowship for many years and was one of the first program directors to initiate an integrated vascular residency program. His foresight led to change the Society for Vascular Surgery, a national professional society, from an annual meeting focused society to a vibrant organization with all year programming that has changed the face of the specialty.

He has gone far beyond the field to organize a regional consortium to improve the quality of vascular care in New England. Dr. Cronenwett is now working with the regional and national societies to try to make this effort at improving quality a national one. As a result, vascular care has greatly benefited from the efforts Dr. Cronenwett has made to improve our understanding of the outcomes of vascular interventions.

In addition to the Jacobson Award, VDF's President's awards were also presented.

VDF's President's Awards are given to recognize individuals who have assisted the Foundation in accomplishing its mission to improve health for all by reducing death and disability from vascular disease. According to Anton Sidawy, MD, president of the Foundation, "The President's awards for Vision, Leadership, Inspiration and Partnership show our appreciation for the extraordinary efforts to support the Foundation's efforts to increase awareness of vascular diseases and enhance patient lives."

The President's Award for Inspiration was awarded to Dr. Garth N. Graham, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health in the Office of Minority Health at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Graham is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, Director of the Office of Minority Health (OMH) at the Department of Health and Human Services. After losing his sister, a physician, to a DVT/PE, he has vowed to help raise awareness so others can know their risks and seek car.

He truly was inspirational when he volunteered his time in December to conduct a satellite media tour to educate the public that "while everyone is at risk, African-Americans face a 30 percent higher chance of developing DVT/PE than the rest of the population, and anyone who is hospitalized and/or bed-ridden has a much greater risk due to inactivity." He traveled to New York to be on a radio show, and made himself available for a taping in DC and to answer questions later from reporters both live and by correspondence.

The President's Award for Leadership was awarded to Marge Lovell, RN, Chair, P.A.D. Coalition and Clinical Trials Nurse London Health Sciences Centre, London, ON.

Ms. Lovell is a renowned vascular nurse and currently works at the London Health Sciences Centre in the Division of Vascular Surgery in London, Ontario. She is actively involved in clinical trials and research and teaches in the Clinical Trials Management Program at the University of Western Ontario. Ms. Lovell is Chair of the P.A.D. Coalition, Past President of the Society for Vascular Nursing and the founder of the Canadian Chapter Vascular Nursing and the local London Chapter Vascular Nursing.

The President's Award for Partnership was presented to the Division of Blood Disorders / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Blood Disorders of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities received this award for their collaborative efforts to promote the health of women who suffer from or are at risk for deep vein thrombosis (DVT). DVT affects women at many stages of life and efforts to educate the public on the risks and warning signs could vastly reduce unnecessary deaths resulting from complications from DVT.

The President's Award for Vision was awarded to Michael H. Criqui, MD, MPH, Professor and Chief Division of Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego.

Source : Vascular Disease Foundation