Message from the President...
The Veterans Affairs network of healthcare is amazing. It is one of the highest rated systems in the country and provides basic and complex care for our nation’s heroes, the veterans. The VA system is partnered with many academic centers and is a cornerstone of American graduate medical education.
The surgical workforce that serves the VA is complex, reflecting its components and needs. Many VA surgeons are affiliated with universities and are our country’s academic leaders. The Association of VA Surgeons was established in 1967 to improve patient care, medical education and research in surgery in the VA. The goals of the AVAS are: to promote the interchange of ideas and issues that affect VA surgeons and to provide a forum for discussion of issues of concern to the membership.
As such, our membership is diverse and complex. However, unifying themes are excellence, commitment, and leadership. Importantly, we care. It is our honor to serve the veterans and our country. We remember President Lincoln’s second inaugural address in 1865 in which he gave the VA its official motto: “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.” We try to fulfill that mandate every day and then take it the next level.
After a successful meeting in Seattle this past April, next year’s AVAS annual meeting will be held in Pittsburgh, April 18-21, 2020. We look forward to a great meeting that will be hosted by the University of Pittsburgh Department of Surgery, chaired by Dr. Timothy Billiar, and local arrangements committee chair Dr. Danny Chu. Please send me your thoughts and ideas about what you want for this meeting and how this society can serve you.
Alan Dardik, MD PhD
AVAS President 2019-2020
The surgical workforce that serves the VA is complex, reflecting its components and needs. Many VA surgeons are affiliated with universities and are our country’s academic leaders. The Association of VA Surgeons was established in 1967 to improve patient care, medical education and research in surgery in the VA. The goals of the AVAS are: to promote the interchange of ideas and issues that affect VA surgeons and to provide a forum for discussion of issues of concern to the membership.
As such, our membership is diverse and complex. However, unifying themes are excellence, commitment, and leadership. Importantly, we care. It is our honor to serve the veterans and our country. We remember President Lincoln’s second inaugural address in 1865 in which he gave the VA its official motto: “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.” We try to fulfill that mandate every day and then take it the next level.
After a successful meeting in Seattle this past April, next year’s AVAS annual meeting will be held in Pittsburgh, April 18-21, 2020. We look forward to a great meeting that will be hosted by the University of Pittsburgh Department of Surgery, chaired by Dr. Timothy Billiar, and local arrangements committee chair Dr. Danny Chu. Please send me your thoughts and ideas about what you want for this meeting and how this society can serve you.
Alan Dardik, MD PhD
AVAS President 2019-2020
Society Affiliation
JAMA Surgery is pleased to be the official publication for the Association of VA Surgeons.