Vascular Forum

2026 CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

VASCULAR FORUM PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • SCIENTIFIC SESSION
  • POSTER PRESENTATIONS
  • DINNER PROGRAM & VASCULAR JEOPARDY

Submission Portal will open July 1, 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)

VASCULAR FORUM: Educational Forum for Students, Residents, and Fellows

Trainees in accredited programs related to the care of patients with vascular disease are invited to submit abstracts to be considered for the Vascular Forum session of the Strandness Symposium which will be held February 22-25, 2026, at the Royal Sonesta Kaua’i.

 

Purpose and Eligibility

The Vascular Forum is the Strandness Symposium program for trainees pursuing careers related to the care of patients with vascular disease. First introduced with the Vascular Care program in 2012, the Vascular Forum program is open to medical students and physicians in training, including residents and fellows in vascular or general surgery, radiology, and cardiology.

 

Physician Vascular Interpretation Training

The Vascular Forum offers an educational program to prepare trainees for roles as physicians in vascular laboratories. The agenda covers topics essential for understanding sonography principles and instrumentation, vascular laboratory operations, and interpretation of vascular non-invasive diagnostic testing.

The Strandness Symposium program is a unique offering designed to prepare trainees for certification and future vascular laboratory roles! The internationally recognized faculty will provide the fundamental knowledge needed for success in a vascular laboratory physician role.

 

Vascular Forum Participant Support

Refundable registration for the Strandness Symposium and Vascular Forum program is offered to any student, resident, or fellow in an accredited training program. Written confirmation of trainees’ status is required (from dean, course director, program director, or equivalent school official).

 

Trainees are invited to submit abstracts for presentation in the Vascular Forum program. Support for travel and lodging for the meeting will be provided only to the Vascular Forum participants who have abstracts selected for oral presentation.

 

To be eligible for lodging and travel support, trainees from states other than Hawaii must also provide confirmation that permission is granted for their participation and attendance through the dates of the program, February 22-25, 2026.

 

Abstract Requirements

  • Topic related to diagnosis or care of vascular disease, including clinical or basic science topics.
  • Case report presentation will be considered.
  • The abstract should be brief (maximum of 300 words in the body of the abstract). Abstracts must also include the title, authors’ names, institution and contact information. In most cases, the sections of the abstract will include 1. Introduction, 2. Methods, 3. Results, and 4. Conclusion.
  • Previously presented, but unpublished works will be considered.

 

Abstract Submission

  • Abstract submission opens July 1, 2025.
  • Abstracts must be received by September 23, 2025.
  • All abstracts must be submitted using the form below.
  • Particular consideration may be given to ensure diversity in content and perspective.
  • Confirmation of receipt is automatically generated; be sure to check your junk folder. If you do not receive a confirmation email, the submitter may contact meeting management at abstracts@strandness.org. Do NOT email your abstract.

 

Abstract Review

  • The review committee will include Drs. John G. Carson, Niten Singh and Pedro Teixeira.
  • Consideration may be given to ensure diversity in content and perspective, to include submissions from residents, fellows, medical students considering training in a field specific to vascular care, vascular sonography students, and graduate nursing students.

 

Acceptance and Meeting Registration

  • Notifications of acceptance will be sent by email by October 12, 2025.
  • Presenters must complete meeting registration within 10 days of notification.
  • All students, residents, and fellows must register online and pay a refundable deposit amount of $250. This amount will not be refunded for no-shows or cancellations under 30 days. Upon completion of attendance and survey required by the scholarship, the full fee will be refunded.
  • If invited Vascular Forum presenters do not register within 10 days, the invitation may be withdrawn and provided to another.
  • PowerPoint versions of the presentation must be submitted in advance of the program and must be received by January 23, 2026.
  • Abstracts not accepted for oral presentation may be presented as a poster presentation. For those interested, there will be an option on the abstract submission form.

Presentation Submission

All accepted abstracts for the Scientific Session must be submitted in PowerPoint format by Friday, January 23, 2026. Vascular Forum presentations are intended to be rapid paced, limited to five minutes each, with additional time allocated for discussion.

The Vascular Forum starts with an afternoon presentation session on the first day of the conference, Sunday, February 22, 2026. Selected presentations (case studies, clinical research, or abstracts on other topics related to the conference themes) will be presented. Presenters will compete for awards, which will be presented at the Monday evening program.

 

Judging Criteria

The purpose of the competition is to provide residents and fellows an opportunity to demonstrate their effectiveness as communicators.

Presenters will be judged on the following criteria:

  1. Quality of the oral presentation,
  2. Effectiveness of the media used (slides may include text, graphics, images, and videos),
  3. Organization and development of concepts being presented,
  4. Ability to effectively defend the management plan by responding to questions posed by the panel, and
  5. The level of complexity of the topic presented considering the level of training of the presenter.  The presentation is limited to five (5) minutes, followed by a three (3) minute question and answer session, open to the judging panel and the audience.

 

Evening Vascular Forum Program

The Vascular Forum dinner program and awards presentation will be on Monday, February 23, 2026. While the content of this session targets the learning and professional development needs of students, residents, and fellows, the session is open to all meeting attendees, by subscription. The session will include didactic content, as well as “Vascular Jeopardy”, making 2026 the sixth installment of this beloved competition.

 

Meals

Meals provided by the conference include continental breakfasts on meeting days. In addition, food is provided at the Welcome Reception on Sunday, the Vascular Forum dinner on Monday, and non-CME breakfast and luncheon seminars presented by industry.

 

Travel and Lodging

Travel and lodging support will be offered to vascular forum participants pending confirmation of grant support.  More information related to financial support will follow. Eligibility for the travel stipend requires participation in the trainee educational activities outlined above (Evening vascular forum program, simulation and skills competition; industry satellite sessions).

 

Sources of Support

The Vascular Forum program is presented by Behind the Scenes, a Medical Education Company. The Strandness Symposium meeting is self-supporting, through registration fees, educational grant support from commercial and non-commercial sources, and exhibitor fees from top tier supporters.

Submit Abstracts