ABVLM 2021 Update

By Dr. Neil Khilnani

On behalf of the staff and Board of the American Board of Venous and Lymphatic Medicine, I welcome you to Denver for the American Vein & Lymphatic Society's 2021 Annual Congress. We are all very excited about the prospects of being able to physically gather again as a community.

I wanted to take this opportunity to bring Congress attendees and our Diplomates up to speed with what’s been happening at ABVLM over the last 12 months:

• MOC Program Update:

» The ABVLM Board is looking to add journal article-based self-assessments to the Online Learning & Assessment (OLA) program. The proposal we are considering is to push a journal article to our diplomates followed by questions for self-assessment. The selected articles will be recent review articles or original investigations with relevance to VLM. We are considering occasionally using this format as an alternative to the current “four items per month” self-assessment. We hope to trial this approach in the next calendar year.

• CME credit for participation in the ABVLM MOC Program:

» The ABVLM is investigating partnering with the AVLS to offer AMA PRA Category 1 CREDIT TM (CME) credit for monthly MOC participation. We are hopeful to have this set up in the next calendar year as well.

• ABVLM Certifying Exam dates:

» In response to requests by recently graduated trainees, the ABVLM has permanently moved the certifying exam to August 1 - September 15 annually to better align with the end of the academic year.

• ABVLM leadership is jointly working in a multi-specialty VLM Recognition Task Force with AVLS. This primary goals of this task force are:

» Specialty recognition with the American Board of Medical Specialties and/or the American Osteopathic Association Board Certification, and

» VLM training programs accreditation.

• Active ABVLM accredited one-year Venous and Lymphatic Medicine Fellowships include:

» Centers for Vein Restoration (several sites)

• Program Director: Peter Pappas (Peter.Pappas@centerforvein.com)

» Prisma Health System - Greenville, SC

• Program Director: Marcus Stanbro (Marcus.Stanbro@prismahealth.org)

» ProMedica / Jobst Vascular Institute - Toledo, OH

• Program Director: John Fish (John. FishMD@promedica.org)

» Mass General / Harvard Medical School - Boston, MA

• Program Director: Julianne Stoughton (JStoughton@mgh.harvard.edu)

• Please contact the Program Director if you are interested in exploring VLM training.

• Please contact the ABVLM if you are interested in starting a one-year academic fellowship.

• Additional information regarding VLM Fellowships is found at ABVLM.ORG.

For any questions related to ABVLM, feel free to reach out to me or Chris Freed, our Executive Director (freed@abvlm.org). We will be in Denver and Chris will be at the ABVLM Booth #417 in the Innovation Pavilion exhibit hall.

We look forward to connecting with old and new colleagues, and for the exciting educational and social opportunities the meeting will offer.