The North American Vascular Biology Organization is a scientific society promoting knowledge exchange in the area of vascular biology. The society organises several international scientific meetings annually which broadly cover the areas of development of blood and lymphatic vasculature, cardiovascular and lymphatic disease, vascular matrix biology and vascular bioengineering.

History 
The North American Vascular Biology Organization was founded in 1994 as a non-profit scientific organization with voluntary membership.
Since its inception, the organization has welcomed members from various disciplines interested in vascular biology.

The inaugural president was Michael Gimbrone from Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, who served from 1994 to 1995. He was succeeded by Stephen Schwartz from the University of Washington, who held the position from 1995 to 1996 before his demise.

Programs and meetings 

NAVBO has been instrumental in organizing a series of programs and events designed to foster exchange of knowledge and promote advancements in vascular biology.

Journal Club: The NAVBO Journal Club is a regular program that brings together NAVBO members to discuss recent, impactful publications in the field of vascular biology. 

Symposiums and Conferences: NAVBO organizes a number of symposiums and conferences each year, which serve as platforms for members and non-members alike to share their research findings, network with other researchers, and stay abreast of the latest advancements in vascular biology. The highlight of these gatherings is the annual Vascular Biology meeting.

Online Conferences: NAVBO also hosts online conferences focused on specific topics within vascular biology. These digital platforms enable more extensive participation from the international community, allowing researchers from around the world to present their work, engage in discussions, and build global networks.

Membership 
The North American Vascular Biology Organization is open to those with an interest in the subject of vascular biology who wish to engage with members to promote the study and dissemination of scientific information relevant to vascular biology, and who meets the criteria established by the Council, which is elected by the Membership.

Council Leadership (2021-2022) 
President

Griffin, Courtney T.

Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation

President-elect

Hughes, Christopher C.

University of California, Irvine

Immediate Past President

Aikawa, Masanori

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Secretary-Treasurer

Muller, Bill A.

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Councilors

Boscolo, Elisa

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Glading, Angela J.

University of Rochester

Gomez, Delphine

University of Pittsburgh

Greif, Daniel M.

Yale University School of Medicine

Shapiro, Linda H.

University of Connecticut Health Center

St. Hilaire, Cynthia

University of Pittsburgh

Past Presidents 
Masanori Aikawa (2020-2021)

Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Ondine Cleaver (2019-2020)

UT Southwestern Medical Center

Michelle Bendeck (2018-2019)

University of Toronto

Cecilia Giachelli (2017-2018)

University of Washington

Jan Kitajewski (2016-2017)

University of Illinois at Chicago

Joyce Bischoff (2015-2016)

Boston Children's Hospital

Karen Hirschi (2014-2015)

University of Virginia

Klaus Ley (2013-2014)

La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Victoria Bautch (2012-2013)

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Tim Hla (2011-2012)

Boston Children's Hospital

William Sessa (2010-2011)

Pfizer, Inc.

Brant Weinstein (2009-2010)

NICHD/NIH

Mark Majesky (2008-2009)

University of Washington

Mark Ginsberg (2007-2008)

University of California, San Diego

Luisa Iruela-Arispe (2006-2007)

Northwestern University

Michael Simons (2005-2006)

Yale School of Medicine

William Muller (2004-2005)

Northwestern University

Linda Demer (2003-2004)

University of California, Los Angeles

Paul DiCorleto (2002-2003)

Retired

Alexander Clowes* (2001-2002)

University of Washington

Mary E. Gerritsen (2000-2001)

Gerritsen Consulting

Bradford Berk (1999-2000)

University of Rochester Medical Center

Gary Owens (1998-1999)

University of Virginia

Jordan Pober (1997-1998)

Yale School of Medicine

Elizabeth Nabel (1996-1997)

ModeX Therapeutics

Stephen Schwartz* (1995-1996)

University of Washington

Michael Gimbrone (1994-1995)

Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School

*Deceased

Awards and honours 
The society administers offers travel awards to trainee members and three annual awards to independent vascular biology investigators, the Springer Junior Investigator Award for a junior researcher who presents outstanding work for presentation at a society meeting that year, the Judah Folkman Award in Vascular Biology for a mid-career researcher who has made significant contributions to vascular biology research, and the Earl P. Benditt Award for an established researcher who has contributed seminal work to vascular biology research.

References 

Scientific organizations based in the United States