Presidential address: the American Association for Vascular Surgery: a tradition of imagination, innovation, and change

This year, the American Association for Vascular Surgery (AAVS) celebrates its 50th anniversary. The Society’s history is one of imagination, innovation, and change. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, vascular surgery was emerging as an independent and vibrant specialty. The development of angiography, new surgical techniques, and early prosthetic grafts stimulated great national and international interest in this emerging field. On this 50th anniversary, the same vitality and interest exists with the development of endovascular stent grafts for abdominal aortic aneurysms, vascular biology, and new training paradigms. Even though our Society has changed dramatically, many of the past traditions, which made this society great, remain our fundamental principles today. In March 1950, Henry Haimovici, MD, a recognized vascular surgeon and physiologist at the Montefiore Medical Center, founded the International Society for Angiology along with Drs Rene Leriche, Michael DeBakey, Geza deTakats, Alton Ochsner, Leo Loewe, Harry Shumacker, Saul Samuels, and Ralph Deterling (Fig 1). The first meeting of the international society was held in Atlantic City, NJ, in June 1951. Because of travel difficulties and the Korean War, Dr Leriche, the first president, was unable to attend. The society was organized with a central organization and three regional chapters: European, North American, and South American. Over time, the Society would enlarge to include other international chapters (Asian, Australian/New Zealand, Middle East/North Africa, and Southern African Chapters), change its name three times, and establish two journals. Our Society, the North American Chapter, would evolve to become one of the largest, most prestigious societies in the United States. The first decade of the North American Chapter, 1952 to 1962, was marked by significant organizational developments. Early scientific sessions were 1-day symposia with invited presentations and discussions. The program of the first meeting included papers on the postphlebitic syndrome, autogenous arterial transplantation, thromboembolism, surgical treatment of arterial aneurysms, and the management of chronic obstructive disease of the aorta, peripheral arteries, and renal arteries. In 1957, the International Society changed its name for the first time to the International Cardiovascular Society and adopted the logo of the Society (Fig 2). The focus of the Society was on noncardiac vascular disease, with members who were cardiac surgeons, vascular surgeons, radiologists, and angiologists. But by 1957, there were an increasing number of cardiac surgeons in the society, and as a result, the society changed the name to include “Cardiovascular.” The word “surgery” was not included because the Society still contained many members who were not surgeons. A year later, in 1958, it was recognized that a journal for the International Society was needed. Two years later, the first issue of The Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery was published, with Drs Haimovici and Malan serving as chief editors. In the second decade of the society, the membership of the North American chapter continued to increase and the annual meeting became more formalized. In 1967, the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) and the International Cardiovascular Society (ICVS) held their first joint meeting in Atlantic City, NJ. The SVS, which was established in 1947, represented the academic surgeons in the United States, and the ICVS represented a broader group of practicing surgeons. In 1975, the relationships between the SVS and the NA-ICVS were formalized to what has become known as the Joint Council. The Joint Council represented leadership from the two societies who together would plan the national meeting and pool resources. Also in 1975, the two societies retained Mr William Maloney From the Northwestern University Medical School; and the Division of Vascular Surgery, Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Competition of interest: nil. Presented at the Fiftieth Annual Meeting of the American Association for Vascular Surgery, Boston, Mass, Jun 9-12, 2002. Reprint requests: William H. Pearce, MD, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, 201 E Huron, #10-105, Chicago, IL 60611 (e-mail: wpearce@nmh. org). J Vasc Surg 2003;37:2-7. Copyright © 2003 by The Society for Vascular Surgery and The American Association for Vascular Surgery. 0741-5214/2003/$30.00 0 doi:10.1067/mva.2003.3