President's Message: August 2026 Pulse

A Season of Momentum, Collaboration, and Global Impact 

Dear SVIN Members,

I hope you are enjoying a restorative and productive summer. As we move through another exceptionally active year for our Society, I would like to share several recent accomplishments and provide a glimpse into the important work taking place across SVIN.

Our society continues to grow at an unprecedented pace, and the momentum we have built together is a testament to your unwavering dedication to the field of interventional neurology. Much of this work occurs behind the scenes—through countless planning calls, committee meetings, educational-program development, international coordination, and the generous volunteer efforts of our members. Although not every contribution is immediately visible, together these efforts are strengthening our Society, expanding our educational mission, and extending SVIN’s impact throughout the United States and around the world.

Spring Successes: Neuro Bootcamp and Venous Symposium

One of the highlights of this spring was the tremendous success of the SVIN University Neuro Interventional Bootcamp. Its immersive and interactive format provided participants with a deeper understanding of neurointerventional procedures, emerging technologies, and clinical decision-making, and the broader environment in which we care for patients. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Dr. Mikayel Grigoryan, Dr. Haralabos Zacharatos, Dr. Ameer Hassan, and the entire faculty and organizational team whose preparation, leadership, and commitment made this outstanding educational program possible.

We also celebrated the remarkable success of the SVIN Cerebral Venous Disorders Symposium—our VENUS Symposium. The program brought together an exceptional faculty to address the rapidly evolving spectrum of cerebral venous disorders and highlighted the growing role of neurointervention in treating these complex conditions. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Athos Patsalides, Dr. Lee Birnbaum, Dr. Haralabos Zacharatos, and the many faculty members, moderators, volunteers, and staff who contributed to the program. The quality of the scientific content, enthusiasm of the participants, and collaborative environment made the symposium a complete success, and I am confident that VENUS will become a distinguished annual educational event within SVIN.

Global Impact: Advancing Clinical Standards Beyond Borders

At the same time, we continue advancing our neurointerventional mission beyond borders through the extraordinary work of Mission Thrombectomy, led by Dr. Fawaz Al-Mufti and Dr. Kais Asif, together with their outstanding and highly energetic Mission Thrombectomy Executive Committee. Their leadership and the dedication of a growing international network of volunteers continue to advance stroke education, advocacy, mentorship, systems development, and equitable access to life-saving thrombectomy care worldwide. Through these collaborations, we have continued expanding the Stroke Interventional Laboratory Certification—or SILC—initiative, while supporting institutions and regional leaders in building high-quality, sustainable stroke systems.'

Our international engagement will continue through Mission Thrombectomy's collaboration with Egypt's two leading neurointerventional societies—MENA-SINO and MENASO. Through this partnership, members of our Executive Committee and Mission Thrombectomy volunteers have contributed to educational programming, hands-on training, and the development of stroke systems and neurointerventional care. I am particularly grateful to Dr. May Nour, Dr. Fawaz Al-Mufti, and all of the volunteers whose commitment has helped establish the foundation for an Egyptian neurointerventional certification program. These efforts require extraordinary preparation, collaboration, and cultural partnership, and they exemplify SVIN's belief that education is one of the most powerful ways to improve patient care worldwide.

Charting the Future: Board Retreat & Strategic Priorities

Another important milestone occurred this spring when our Board of Directors convened for an exceptionally productive strategic retreat. Together, we examined where SVIN stands today, where we want the Society to be in the coming years, and what organizational structure will be required to achieve that vision. We refined our mission, vision, strategic pillars, and organizational framework while identifying a focused set of priorities for the Society’s next phase of growth. These priorities include strengthening our educational portfolio, increasing member engagement and professional development, expanding our global and advocacy impact, supporting innovation and research, and ensuring the governance, operational capacity, and financial sustainability necessary to fulfill our ambitions. This was not simply an exercise in developing new language or documents; it was an important step toward creating greater clarity, accountability, and alignment across our Board, committees, programs, and administrative operations. Key items coming out of the retreat include:

• Global Inclusivity & Access: Transitioning vital initiatives like Mission Thrombectomy into permanent, deeply integrated pillars of global outreach and international expansion of the Society.
• SVIN’s Mission: The Board formally voted on and approved our newly updated mission and vision statements, explicitly sharpening our focus: "Advancing the fields of vascular and interventional neurosciences through research, innovation, education, collaboration and advocacy."
• Financial Sustainability & Growth: Advancing our long-term sustainability goals, including the rollout of our multi-phase research endowment plan to fund independent, groundbreaking scientific discovery and set the foundation for the top revenue-generating projects for the coming years.

Registration Now Open: 20th Annual Meeting in Las Vegas

Finally, I encourage all of you to register for the 2026 SVIN Annual Meeting. Registration is now officially open, taking place November 18–20, 2026, at Resorts World Las Vegas.

Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of SVIN, this milestone meeting is themed around the trailblazers who transformed mechanical thrombectomy into a global standard. It promises a spectacular lineup of cutting-edge trial presentations, disruptive technologies, and unparalleled networking. I strongly encourage you to secure your registration early to take advantage of the Early Bird rates before the September 14 deadline.

I would also like to express my personal gratitude to our Board of Directors and Executive Committee for their invaluable input, guidance, and commitment to the future of SVIN. I am especially thankful to our President-Elect, Dr. Robin Novakovic, with whom I have the privilege of working almost daily. Her thoughtful advice, partnership, and unwavering commitment continually challenge me to become a better leader and help keep our Society moving forward. I am equally grateful for the ongoing support of our Executive Director, Joyce, and the entire Ewald Consulting team, whose work behind the scenes helps translate the vision and priorities of our volunteer leadership into meaningful action.

Thank you once again for your commitment to SVIN and to the patients and communities we serve. I wish you and your families a safe, healthy, and restorative remainder of the summer, and I look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas this November as we celebrate another remarkable year together.

Sincerely, 

Santiago Ortega-Gutierrez, MD, MSc, FAHA, FSVIN 
President, Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology (SVIN) 

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