AVLS: New Name, New Look... Same Community

DEAN J BENDER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AVLS

Well here we are twelve months down the road from a most successful Annual Congress in Nashville, TN, where we announced the next phase of our strategic vision entitled “New Horizon” by changing our identity from the American College of Phlebology to the American Vein & Lymphatic Society (AVLS).

You might ask why was the change in identity is such an important part of our strategy for the future? What is in a name?

By becoming the AVLS we have accomplished two critical objectives: 1) We have clearly communicated to the world what we are really about. We are a society of like-minded individuals centered around the medical specialty associated with the treatment of venous and lymphatic disease and 2) We have planted a flag in the ground as the only professional medical society for physicians that specialize in the field of Lymphedema, bringing together therapists and doctors under the same umbrella and providing an environment to advance the field for the benefit of our patients.

Furthermore, the change in identity is a clear indication that our purpose as a society has also changed. As you recall in 2017 in Austin, TX, the new strategic vision and purpose for our existence was presented under the banner of the “New Horizon” where we established the three tenets of the Society - Advocacy, Research and Education. You are going to read more about what has been accomplished and what we look to pursue in the future in each of these areas, so I won’t be redundant here. Better to hear what’s what from your fellow members who have committed their time and talent to advance the mission of the AVLS.

In parallel to changing the name of the AVLS, the American College of Phlebology Foundation followed suit and announced in January its new name – the Foundation for Venous & Lymphatic Disease (FVLD). The FVLD is closing out the New Horizon capital campaign on December 31, and with your support is looking to exceed our goals which will enable us to further invest in key initiatives in venous & lymphatic disease.

And so, to keep you up to speed with other changes that have occurred over the past year, please let me share with you a few of the key changes administratively to better serve you as a member or soon to be member of the AVLS

As you should all know by now, we are settled into our new offices in the River North community of Chicago. The move to Chicago has allowed us to be more central to our membership and actually enabled us to directly interact with members and potential members quite frequently. This past year we hosted the Executive Leadership Summit held by the Foundation for Venous & Lymphatic Disease, the Clinical Guidelines training session, an Open House for the attendees of the Society for Vascular Ultrasound meeting, the American Board of Venous and Lymphatic Medicine writers meeting along with a variety of other physician groups that utilized our conference facilities.

Please remember to look us up anytime you are in Chicago as we would love to host you for a great cup of coffee or show you around the city of Chicago.