ACE: Vascular Surgery

School of Medicine

The field of Vascular Surgery has been markedly transformed over the last two decades, fueled by an explosion of technological advancement, research-supported clinical science development, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Students enrolled in this ACE will experience a hands-on introduction to this rapidly evolving field by immersing themselves into the Vascular Surgery team at Vanderbilt Hospital. The engaged student can look forward to the prospect of caring for patients in the inpatient and outpatient settings, where he or she will learn about the various surgical manifestations and functional burdens imposed by atherosclerotic disease, aneurysmal disease, diabetes mellitus, and inherited disorders of the vascular and hematologic systems. As part of the care team, students may be asked to field consult requests from our affiliated services, and will have the opportunity to join the surgical staff in the operating theater to experience both open and endovascular surgery. By the end of this course, it is our sincere hope that the students develop an interest in pursuing a career in vascular surgery, or at least have a sound knowledge base that will help in the care of all aspects of adult medicine.