February 14, 2023
By now, many of you have seen the news of the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria last week, killing or injuring more than one hundred thousand individuals – a number that continues to rise as the destruction and displacement is still calculated. Our condolences and courage go out to all affected by the tragedy and especially to the friends and family of our SVIN community.
In the days following the disaster, one of our members reached out to share his personal story.
Okkes Kuybu, MD, a senior Neurointerventional fellow at UPMC, originally from Turkey, reported that the affected area is approximately 100 square kilometers. This area is five times the size of the U.S. state of New Jersey, two and a half times the area of the Netherlands, and larger than Portugal. The earthquake affected nearly 15 million people and left millions without homes, and access to basic needs such as food or blankets in harsh winter conditions. He lost dozens of his family and friends and still has not heard from many. We’ve asked how SVIN members can help and have been shared the following links to organizations or foundations that are directly responding to the disaster.
Additional information about supporting relief efforts can be found on the PBS and NY Times websites.
Please join SVIN in sending your thoughts and condolences to all communities affected by this disaster.
Sincerely,
Ameer E. Hassan, D.O., FAHA, FSVIN
President, Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology
Catherine E. Gahres, MBA, CAE
Executive Director, Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology
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