Awards

Peter A. Schneider, MD

Peter A. Schneider, MD, serves as a Professor of Surgery in the Division of Vascular & Endovascular Surgery at the University of California San Francisco. Dr. Schneider received his MD from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and completed a fellowship in vascular surgery at the University of California San Francisco.

Dr. Schneider has been in vascular practice for more than 30 years and was the founding member and chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery at Kaiser Permanente in Hawaii until 2018. He has been a national or site principal investigator of numerous clinical trials. Dr. Schneider is a Distinguished Fellow of the Society for Vascular Surgery and is the past president of the Western Vascular Society and Vascular and Interventional Advances (VIVA). He has been invited to many national and international visiting professorships, served as director, faculty, or course director for scores of specialty courses, and performed revascularization procedures in more than a dozen countries. He authored Endovascular Skills, the 4th edition published in 2019, and has co-authored three other books on various aspects of vascular disease. He has developed several medical devices and holds numerous patents.

Kush R. Desai, MD

Kush R. Desai, MD, is an interventional radiologist and Associate Professor of Radiology, Surgery, and Medicine at Northwestern University. His primary research and clinical interests are in venous thromboembolic disease, deep venous thrombectomy/thrombolysis, reconstruction of chronic venous occlusions, IVC filter management/complex IVC filter retrieval, and interventional pulmonary embolism management. He serves as the national and global principal investigator for numerous clinical trials that are developing strategies and devices to treat deep venous disease and serves as a reviewer for several journals, including Circulation, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Journal of Vascular Surgery: Venous and Lymphatic Disorders, and Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.

Tatsuya Nakama, MD

Tatsuya Nakama, MD, earned his medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan. After completing his primary residency program at Miyazaki University Hospital, he started his career as an Interventional Cardiologist at the Cardiovascular Center of Miyazaki Medical Association Hospital. He currently practices at Tokyo Bay Medical Center, Urayasu, Japan, and is devoted to clinical research, educating young interventional fellows, and contributing to the development of community medicine. He has contributed to many publications regarding the technique, feasibility, and clinical implications of challenging endovascular treatment. He is also listed as the author of the latest PAD treatment guidelines of the Japanese Circulation Society and is active as a principal investigator of several clinical studies. He is particularly passionate about the treatment of chronic limb-threatening ischemia, especially in the endovascular intervention for infrapopliteal and inframalleolar diseases.

Steve Elias, MD

Steve Elias, MD, is Director of the Center for Vein Disease at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center NJ. He is the founder of the American Venous Forum Fellows Course in Vein Disease, which educates graduating physicians about the management of vein disease. He is also a founder and course director of the Expert Venous Management Symposium and Venous Edge Magazine and the current Editor of the American Venous Forum's newsletter, Vein Specialist. Dr. Elias has lectured and published on all aspects of venous disease nationally and internationally. He is the former Medical Director of VEIN Magazine and the Medical Editor of the American Venous Forum’s Newsletter, Vein Specialist. Other societal memberships include the American Venous Forum - Distinguished Fellow, Society for Vascular Surgery, American Vein and Lymphatic Society, Fellow American Board of Venous and Lymphatic Medicine, and Fellow American College of Surgery. He has been the Director of Mount Sinai Vein Center and the Columbia University Vascular Vein Programs. He is a fellowship-trained Vascular Surgeon.