Presidential address: the next quarter.

I would like to take a few moments to thank a few of the individuals who have helped me at various stages of my career. The honor that you give to me today must be shared by those who have been so much a part of my surgical career and my personal life. First, my father, Ben. I regret that he couldn’t be here today. His role modeling as a caring and dedicated surgeon was undoubtedly the reason I chose surgery as my profession. Next, Dr Frank Spencer, one of the great surgeons and teachers of this past century. For 29 years, my surgical education and professional career has been under his leadership. To this day I call upon Dr Spencer for his wise counsel. I am truly honored to hold the Chair to which he brought such distinction for so many years. Dr Anthony Imparato, my mentor and colleague for many years. An excellent surgeon and respected teacher, Dr Imparato incorporated the biology of vascular disease into every clinical situation. I am grateful for his many lessons and for the opportunities he has given me. I want also to acknowledge my associates at NYU: Pat Lamparello, a partner for 20 years; Mark Adelman; Glenn Jacobowitz; Caron Rockman; Paul Gagne; Matt Nalbandian; and Neal Cayne. They have supported me in every way. Thank you all. Also I want to thank Ronnie Landis, RN, a part of our NYU vascular surgery team for more than 25 years. Her dedication and service as a research coordinator and clinical nurse has been extraordinary. Last, I thank Adriana, a lovely lady who caught my eye about the same time I was first learning how to tie surgical knots. As have many spouses of vascular surgeons, Adriana has put up with late-night calls, early rises, and ruined social engagements. In addition to raising our two sons, Adriana has pursued her own profession as a teacher and kept it all together with grace and charm. It seems it was only yesterday that I attended my first meeting of this organization. The year was 1976. The meeting was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This organization, at that time, was called the International Cardiovascular Society. Dr Frank Spencer was our president. I remember being in awe of the great surgeons at that meeting: Michael DeBakey, Ed Wylie, Jessie Thompson, Charles Rob, Robert Linton, Sterling Edwards, my mentors—Frank Spencer and Anthony Imparato—and many other great men who had already contributed so much to vascular surgery. (It was almost exclusively men in those days, as few women had had the opportunity to pursue a career in surgery in earlier years.) It was an unforgettable experience for me. By 1976, the profession of vascular surgery as we know it had been in existence for approximately 25 years. In medicine, as in all science, it is often difficult to pinpoint exactly when an era began. Events are so closely interconnected, with one contribution leading to another, that naming any beginning or end is arbitrary. Certainly the first half of the 20th century was the time of many exciting discoveries in vascular surgery. Before 1950, however, the actual number of vascular operations that had been performed was relatively small. The successful aortic aneurysm repair by Charles Dubost in 1951, using a homograft, was a landmark event. Arguably, that was the beginning of vascular surgery as we know it today. Within months of Dubost’s report, homografts were being used elsewhere. Another important event occurred in 1951: The International Society for Angiology, the forerunner of this organization, met for the first time. What occurred over the next quarter-century was nothing short of spectacular. In 1954, Dr Arthur Voorhees reported the first successful use of a synthetic graft for aneurysm repair. That same year, Drs Eastcott, Pickering, and Rob reported on their successful carotid endarterectomy. Year after year, new operations were described: carotid subclavian bypass in 1956, axillofemoral bypass in 1962. The Fogarty embolectomy catheter was introduced in 1963. Dr Charles Dotter did the first angioplasty for an arterial stenosis that same year. Over the next few years, a variety of extra-anatomic bypasses for arch vessel reconstruction were described. In 1973, Dr Lazar Greenfield reported his success with the new filter for the vena cava. From the Department of Surgery, New York University Medical Center. Competition of interest: none. Presented at the Fifty-first Annual Meeting of the American Association for Vascular Surgery, Chicago, Ill, Jun 8-11, 2003. Reprint requests: Thomas S. Riles, MD, Chairman, Department of Surgery, New York University Medical Center, 530 First Avenue, Suite 6D, New York, NY 10016 (e-mail: thomas.riles@med.nyu.edu). J Vasc Surg 2004;39:275-8. 0741-5214/$30.00 Copyright © 2004 by The Society for Vascular Surgery. doi:10.1016/S0741-5214(03)01025-5