In the News

National Institutes of Health Conference: Toward a Better Vision
The VDF Executive Director, Sheryl Benjamin, was invited to attend a Public Interest Organization conference organized by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health. Topics at the conference included ways to communicate health messages, involvement in clinical research and ways to fund research. As well, discussion focused on opportunities to exchange information with other non-profit disease-based organizations. The highlight for the Foundation was meeting with NHLBI staff to discuss a future national workshop focused on PAD education.

National Vascular Specialty Meetings: Our Allies in Education
The Vascular Disease Foundation was fortunate to participate in several meetings this spring to share our goals and mission with medical professionals. We attended the annual meetings of the American College of Cardiology held in Atlanta, the Society of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology held in Baltimore and the International Union of Angiology held in New York City. In addition, we had a strategy meeting with the board of the Society for Vascular Nursing and attended the Scientific Symposium of Peripheral Arterial Disease Rehabilitation. In June, we will be attending the meetings of the Society for Vascular Medicine and Biology, the American Association for Vascular Surgery and the Society for Vascular Surgery.

Fundraising Success
Our annual fall fundraising campaign was successful. According to Executive Director, Sheryl Benjamin, over three times the amount was raised in 2001 from the prior year. She added, "We really appreciate the wonderful support from the public and the vascular professionals who responded to our campaign."