Welcome to the homepage of the Association of VA Surgeons.

The Association of VA Surgeons was established in 1967 to improve patient care, medical education and research in surgery in the VA. Since then, our membership has grown to over 400 members and interest continues to increase.

The group meets annually and is hosted by different VA Medical Centers. Our goals are

to promote the interchange of ideas and issues that affect VA surgeons.

to provide a forum for discussion of issues of concern to the membership

formulation of an organized representation

From the President...

It is a great privilege for me to serve as the President of the Association of VA Surgeons. As VA surgeons we have the honor to provide care for a most deserving patient population, namely those who have served their country in the military. Our patients, and their families have sacrificed mightily to help preserve our way of life in America.

The Association of VA Surgeons represents an important forum where surgeons caring for our veteran patients can present their important basic science research, clinical research, and health services research. It is important to have a place to present this work, because the military and veteran experience is in fact unique and in many ways our patients are different than the population at large. It is crucial that we share our experience in caring for this unique and deserving group of patients in order to be able to provide them with the absolute best health care.

The principle role of the AVAS is to host an annual meeting where this research is presented. This year the annual meeting will be held April 21-23 in the Intercontinental Hotel in Milwaukee, WI. The meeting is hosted by the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center and the Medical College of Wisconsin. I hope you will send your best work to this meeting and make plans to attend. I look forward to seeing you in Milwaukee.

David H. Berger, M.D.
AVAS President, 2012 - 2013

Society Affiliation
JAMA Surgery is pleased to announce that it is now the official publication for the Association of VA Surgeons.

DISCLAIMER: The AVAS is a 501(c)(6) non-profit and non-political educational organization. This is a private website designed specifically for the benefit of its membership. We do not offer advice regarding medical symptoms or treatments. Please consult your doctor about any health-related problems or concerns.