The Wylie Society – A Quest for Excellence
The Wylie Society is an international group dedicated to preserving the legacy of Dr. Edwin Jack Wylie, a major pioneer in the field of vascular surgery. Through education, research, and collaboration, the Society continues to uphold the values and enthusiasm of Dr. Wylie in the study of all aspects of vascular disease.
Initially, the group was composed of the clinical fellows that graduated from the UCSF Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Fellowship Program. Society Members are now also comprised of those honored as Wylie Traveling Fellows (established in 1987) and Wylie Scholars (established in 1996). The group is rounded out with the current UCSF Vascular Surgery Faculty and those individuals that have completed a substantial research project in the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, (Wylie Research Fellows).
Dr. Wylie’s “commitment to excellence” is the underlying theme for the Society. This commitment applies to all aspects of vascular surgery. All members promote technical competency, clinical expertise, forward progress and mentorship of new trainees in the field of vascular surgery.
The first gathering of the Wylie Society was held on the Monday evening of the Annual Society of Vascular Surgery Meeting in 1975. This meeting was highlighted by a presentation from Dr. J. Cid Dos Santos of Lisbon, Portugal, the founder of the technique of endarterectomy (1947). This technique was first used in the United States by Dr. Wylie in 1951 to treat a patient with aorto-iliac disease. Dr. Dos Santos’ address was a tribute to Dr. Wylie.
The Society has continued this tradition of meeting annually for the past 38 years for dinner in conjunction with the Society for Vascular Surgery Annual Meeting. The 2013 dinner was especially momentous as the SVS returned to San Francisco, where we were able to celebrate 50 years of vascular surgery fellowship training at UCSF.
News & Events
On Thursday, May 30th, 2013, The Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery hosted the 2013 Wylie Society Dinner at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in downtown San Francisco. This year marked the 50th Anniversary of Vascular Surgery Training at UCSF. Over 80 guests were treated to a spectacular spring San Francisco evening, which began with a wine tasting reception on the 40th Floor Patio. The dinner program consisted of talks on the evolution of Vascular Training, an overview of the UCSF Fellowship Program, and a look into the future of education in Vascular Surgery.
A message from Dr. Ronald Stoney, Professor Emeritus of Surgery:
"Hi, and thanks to all of you who attended the Vascular Meeting and our Wylie Society Dinner this year.
What an evening and stunning venue for the Wylie Society Dinner! I just want you to know how much it meant to me to enjoy an evening with so many colleagues – all about the Wylie heritage at UCSF. I thought it was organized well, and I had a chance to visit with many of you. Enjoying the time together with many of you was the highlight of my evening.
I thought the review of the 50 year-old legacy of the UCSF Vascular Division and Vascular Fellowship were special, as well as Surgical Specialist training in the future. The after dinner stories and comments brought back old memories, as well as some I had forgotten.
My sincere thanks to all of you for being there, despite a number of long journeys, that helped make this happen. Linda and I thoroughly enjoyed the time with all of you. There are many fond memories from the evening that will stay with me, and the handshakes, hugs and sharing our connections together was the icing on the cake."