THE CONDUIT
News from the MVSS
Fall Issue │ October 2026
Message from the President
Rachel Nicholson
2026-2027 MVSS President
Dear Members, Colleagues and Friends,
The Midwestern Vascular Surgical Society was born from a simple idea. In the mid-1970s, Dr. John Bergan of Northwestern envisioned a society that would bring the vascular surgeons of our region together, and in 1977 our founding president, Dr. Emerick Szilagyi, opened our first annual meeting at the Drake Hotel in Chicago. The surgeons in that room helped build the foundations of modern vascular surgery. This past September, we celebrated our 50th Annual Meeting back where it all began, at the Drake.
MVSS welcomes our newly elected officers & committee members:
Front Row: JIll Colglazier, Rachael Nicholson, Ross Milner, Pegge Halandras & Trissa Babrowski
Back Row: Peter Rossi, Matthew Smeds, Loay Kabbani & Gary Seabrook
2026 Annual Meeting Recap
By Loay Kabbani, MD,
MVSS Secretary and Program Committee Chair
The 2026 MVSS Annual Meeting marked the Society’s 50th anniversary and brought the vascular community back to The Drake Hotel in Chicago, the historic home of the first annual meeting. From September 17 to 19, members gathered for three days of science, education, mentorship, and fellowship across the region.
The meeting welcomed 341 professional registrants, including 116 members, 23 non-member physicians, 108 fellows and residents, 37 allied health professionals and associate members, and 57 medical students. The Society also reached 847 total members in 2026, reflecting continued growth across active, associate, candidate, medical student, and senior membership categories.
2026 Presidential Address
If you missed it, we posted Dr. Ross Milner’s Presidential Address to the Society’s You Tube Channel.
2026 SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKERS
HONORARY GUEST LECTURER
Geeta Lal, MD
Pictured with Rachael Nicholson, MD
PRESIDENT’S INVITED GUEST SPEAKER
Ravi Veeraswamy, MD
Pictured with Ross Milner, MD
2026 MVSS Past Presidents Dinner
This Annual Gathering is a way of honoring our current and former Society leaders.
MVSS Past Presidents
BackRow: Mike Dalsing, M. Ashraf Mansour, Timothy Kresowik, Patrick Muck, Jeffrey Jim, Sean Lyden, Patrick Geraghty, Gary Seabrook, John Corson, Mark Mattos, Donald Jacobs, Walter McCarthy, Peter Gloviczki
Front Row: Raghu Motaganahalli, Ross Milner, Bernadette Aulivola, Kellie Brown, Patrick O’Hara, Jean Starr
2026 MVSS Award Winners
DEI Disparities Research Award & D. Emerick Szilagyi Award
Michael Youngjin Lee, MD
Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI
Consequences Of Just Say Yes: Necessity, Payer Mix, And The Financial Burden Of Interhospital Vascular Surgery Transfers At A Quaternary Care Center
John R. Pfeifer Award
Joseph Karam, MD
Allina Health, Minneapolis, MN
Surgical Decompression Of The Internal Jugular Vein With Sternocleidomastoid And Omohyoid Myotomy In Patients With Symptomatic Cerebral Venous Drainage Disorders
Charles C. Guthrie Award
Drew J. Braet, MD
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Quantitative Multi-Contrast Atherosclerosis Characterization (qMatch)Magnetic Resonance Imaging Improves Detection of Vulnerable Internal Carotid Artery Plaques
Best Poster Award
Matthew Leverich
University of Toledo
Unequal Access: Who Gets Endovascular Interventions For Acute Iliofemoral Deep Vein Thrombosis?
Simulation Assessment Course Winner
Hanaa Aridi, MD
Indiana University School of Medicine
2026 Diversity in Vascular Surgery Medical Student Research Scholarship Winner
Katherine Onell
Medical College of Wisconsin
Evaluating the Impact of a Standardized Multidisciplinary Amputation Protocol on Postoperative Outcomes and Prosthetic Ambulation Following Below-Knee Amputations”
2026 INDUSTRY SUPPORT
On behalf of the MVSS Executive Council & Membership, we want to thank the following companies for their generous support of the 2026 Annual Meeting.
Exhibit Hall
Enjoy some photos from the Exhibit Hall and throughout the meeting.
2026 MVSS SIMULATION ASSESSMENT & SKILLS PROGRAM
The MVSS is pleased to announce that a highly successful 2026 Technology & Technique Vascular Simulation Program was held just prior to the start of the MVSS annual meeting in Chicago.
For this year’s event, 20 residents signed up along with 20 faculty members, with several junior residents jumping in to participate as time allowed. The program was supported by 10 industry and organizational partners, including Abbott Vascular, the Association of Program Directors in Vascular Surgery (APDVS), Penumbra, Shockwave, Terumo Aortic, Gore, Boston Scientific-TCAR, Medtronic, Cook Medical, and Humacyte. These partners brought advanced simulation stations and expert representatives, providing trainees with invaluable hands-on experience.
The primary goals of the program remain focused on enhancing vascular surgery fellow and resident exposure to new technology and techniques while showcasing excellent open and endovascular skills. A major highlight this year was the addition of the APDVS station, which showcased the new Fundamentals of Vascular Surgery curriculum that will be required for Integrated Residents graduating in 2029.
The core simulation format remained highly engaging, but this year the energetic simulation competition was expanded to include all participating trainees who were graded across all stations. Trainees were evaluated on their performance throughout the entirety of the program. The individual simulation competition winner, Hanaa Aridi, MD, will be sponsored to represent the MVSS and compete in the prestigious Top Gun competition at the Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery meeting.
The excitement continued the following evening with a brand-new addition to the MVSS lineup: the $25,000 Pyramid competition. Inspired by Kristine Orion, who made this event happen and secured a tremendous prize for the winning team. This inaugural event was a massive success that featured 9 teams of trainees competing in a fast-paced environment filled with strong competition and plenty of laughs.
The evening was highlighted by MVSS President Ross Milner and Past President Bernadette Aulivola, who joined the fun as a 10th team. They put on a spectacular performance, actually beating the top trainee team’s score—though, as hosts of the event, they were safely disqualified from taking home the grand prize! The true winning trainee team, Hanaa Aridi and Zachary Zotolla from Indiana University, secured an incredible trip to attend the Western Vascular Society meeting in Hawaii next year. Because this debut was such a hit, the Pyramid competition will officially continue next year. Trainees should start getting their teams together and practicing now!
Overall, it was a fantastic meeting filled with exceptional learning, fellowship, and fun that received outstanding reviews from trainees, faculty, and sponsors alike. We would like to thank all the trainees who arrived early to participate, our dedicated faculty volunteers, and the MVSS Simulation Committee members who organized these complex events. Finally, a huge thank you to our industry and organizational partners who volunteered their time, expertise, and simulation materials to make this program a resounding success!
Kristine Orion, MD, Chair
Michael Soult, MD, Vice-Chair
2026 MEDICAL STUDENT LIVE SURGICAL SKILLS SESSION
The MVSS Medical Student Education Committee once again hosted an in-person vascular skills session at this year’s annual meeting. More than 30 medical students from across the Midwest, representing all training levels (M1–M4), participated in a series of hands-on vascular simulations and demonstrations. The organization also supported travel scholarships for 20 students to attend the meeting and participate in the session.
Students practiced dexterity and basic surgical techniques using task trainers and engaged with advanced simulators. This year, they worked with faculty and industry representatives to perform a variety of procedures including primary repair of an arteriotomy, end-to-side anastomosis, Shockwave balloon angioplasty, EVAR/TEVAR graft deployment, Perclose deployment, and lower extremity stenting. The session provided a unique opportunity for students to gain early exposure to the technical aspects of vascular surgery and to connect with faculty and trainees in the field.
Our committee renews its goal to expand MVSS medical student membership, which continues to increase each year, reflecting a growing interest in vascular surgery among medical trainees. The committee looks forward to expanding outreach and maintaining enthusiasm for our educational programs that highlight the exciting, innovative field of vascular surgery. As always, we appreciate the faculty and trainees that participate in our events throughout the year and continue to provide mentorship to our student members.
Abby Rothstein, MD, FACS
Associate Professor, Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
Medical College of Wisconsin
Save the Dates
MVSS ANNUAL MEETING
September 9 -11, 2027
Westin Book Cadillac Detroit
Detroit, MI
Welcome New Members
MVSS would like to welcome the following New Members who have joined the Society since September 2025.
ACTIVE MEMBERS
Natasha Ahuja
Prevea Health
Javariah Asghar
Marshfield Medical Center
Caleb Birchler
Mercy Health
Luke Brewster
University of Cincinnati
Bryan Cass
Cleveland Clinic
Elise DeRoo
University of Wisconsin
Mitchell Dyer
Medical College of Wisconsin
Rym El Khoury
Endeavor Health/NorthShore University Healthsystem
Adam Hicks
Franciscan Health
Daniel Ihnat
University of Minnesota
John Kanitra
Baylor University Medical Center
Muhammad Khan
Michigan Vascular Center
Justin King
University of Cincinnati
Satinderjit Locham
Indiana University Health
Ryan McEnaney
Washington University School of Medicine
Ryan McEnaney
Washington University School of Medicine
alexandra mercel
University of Minnesota
Jake Nicholson
Corewell Health West
Kevin Onofrey
Henry Ford Hospital
John Park
Vascular and Interventional Specialists
Megan Parrott
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Teah Qvavadze
SIU Medicine
Mark Saatzer
Christie Clinic Vein and Vascular
Mohammad Sarhan
Vascular Surgery Associates
Robert Weiss
Lutheran General Hospital
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
Alexandra Lebiedzinski
University of Chicago Medicine
Jack Magee
Remington Medical
Tandia Remmenga
Medical College of Wisconsin
Rebekah Siegert
University of Iowa
Liana Wilson-Pawlick
Mount Carmel Vascular Surgery
Samantha Winslow
University of Chicago
Dale Zyduck
Medical Collage of Wisconsin
For information regarding the Society go to our website: https://www.midwestvascular.org
For Membership Information and Applications go to MVSS Membership