The North American Vascular Biology Organization is a scientific society promoting knowledge exchange in the area of vascular biology.^[1] The society organises several international scientific meetings annually which broadly cover the areas of development of blood and lymphatic vasculature, cardiovascular and lymphatic disease, vascular matrix biology and vascular bioengineering.^[2]

History

The North American Vascular Biology Organization was founded in 1994 as a non-profit scientific organization with voluntary membership.^[3][4] Since its inception, the organization has welcomed members from various disciplines interested in vascular biology.

The inaugural president was Michael Gimbrone from Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, who served from 1994 to 1995. He was succeeded by Stephen Schwartz from the University of Washington, who held the position from 1995 to 1996 before his demise.

Programs and meetings

NAVBO has been instrumental in organizing a series of programs and events designed to foster exchange of knowledge and promote advancements in vascular biology.

Journal Club: The NAVBO Journal Club is a regular program that brings together NAVBO members to discuss recent, impactful publications in the field of vascular biology.

Symposiums and Conferences: NAVBO organizes a number of symposiums and conferences each year, which serve as platforms for members and non-members alike to share their research findings, network with other researchers, and stay abreast of the latest advancements in vascular biology. The highlight of these gatherings is the annual Vascular Biology meeting.

Online Conferences: NAVBO also hosts online conferences focused on specific topics within vascular biology. These digital platforms enable more extensive participation from the international community, allowing researchers from around the world to present their work, engage in discussions, and build global networks.

Membership

The North American Vascular Biology Organization is open to those with an interest in the subject of vascular biology who wish to engage with members to promote the study and dissemination of scientific information relevant to vascular biology, and who meets the criteria established by the Council, which is elected by the Membership.^[2]

Council Leadership (2021-2022)

President

Griffin, Courtney T.

Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation

President-elect

Hughes, Christopher C.

University of California, Irvine

Immediate Past President

Aikawa, Masanori

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Secretary-Treasurer

Muller, Bill A.

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Councilors

Boscolo, Elisa

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Glading, Angela J.

University of Rochester

Gomez, Delphine

University of Pittsburgh

Greif, Daniel M.

Yale University School of Medicine

Shapiro, Linda H.

University of Connecticut Health Center

St. Hilaire, Cynthia

University of Pittsburgh

Past Presidents

• 2020-2021 - Masanori Aikawa, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School

• 2019-2020 - Ondine Cleaver, UT Southwestern Medical Center

• 2018-2019 - Michelle Bendeck, University of Toronto

• 2017-2018 - Cecilia Giachelli, University of Washington

• 2016-2017 - Jan Kitajewski, University of Illinois at Chicago

• 2015-2016 - Joyce Bischoff, Boston Children's Hospital

• 2014-2015 - Karen Hirschi, University of Virginia

• 2013-2014 - Klaus Ley, La Jolla Institute for Immunology

• 2012-2013 - Victoria Bautch, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• 2011-2012 - Tim Hla, Boston Children's Hospital

• 2010-2011 - William Sessa, Pfizer, Inc.

• 2009-2010 - Brant Weinstein, NICHD/NIH

• 2008-2009 - Mark Majesky, University of Washington

• 2007-2008 - Mark Ginsberg, University of California, San Diego

• 2006-2007 - Luisa Iruela-Arispe, Northwestern University

• 2005-2006 - Michael Simons, Yale School of Medicine

• 2004-2005 - William Muller, Northwestern University

• 2003-2004 - Linda Demer, University of California, Los Angeles

• 2002-2003 - Paul DiCorleto, Retired

• 2001-2002 - Alexander Clowes, University of Washington

• 2000-2001 - Mary E. Gerritsen, Gerritsen Consulting

• 1999-2000 - Bradford Berk, University of Rochester Medical Center

• 1998-1999 - Gary Owens, University of Virginia

• 1997-1998 - Jordan Pober, Yale School of Medicine

• 1996-1997 - Elizabeth Nabel, ModeX Therapeutics

• 1995-1996 - Stephen Schwartz, University of Washington

• 1994-1995 - Michael Gimbrone, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School *Deceased

Awards and honours

The society offers several meritorious awards to independent vascular biology investigators and travel awards to trainee members.

Stephen Schwartz Award

This award is named in honor of Stephen Schwartz, co-founder of the North American Vascular Biology Organization for outstanding mentorship. This award recognizes an exemplary mentor who has significantly contributed to the success of graduate students, postdocs, and scientists trained in their laboratory. The Vascular Biology Journal fully supports this award.^[5]

• 2023 - Luisa Iruela-Arispe, M.S., Ph.D, Northwestern University
• 2022 - Richard Hynes, PhD, MIT
• 2021 - Dr. Brant M. Weinstein, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland.

Florence Sabin Award

The Florence Sabin Award is given in honor of Dr. Florence Sabin, a remarkable scientist and a role model for women who broke scientific and social barriers. This award is given to members who contribute to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion which will benefit underrepresented groups.

• 2023 - Naomi Chesler, M.Sc., Ph.D, University of California, Irvine
• 2022 - Omolola Eniola-Adefeso, PhD, University of Michigan

The Springer Junior Investigator Award

The Springer Junior Investigator Award is given for a junior researcher who presents outstanding work for presentation at a society meeting that year ^{[6] [7]}

• 2023 - Amber Stratman, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis
• 2022 - Delphine Gomez, PhD, University of Pittsburgh
• 2021 - Ying Yang, PhD, University of South Florida
• 2020 - Zhen Chen, PhD, City of Hope
• 2019 - Bhama Ramkhelawon, PhD, New York University Langone Medical Center

The Judah Folkman Award

This award is given in honor of Judah Folkman, for a mid-career researcher who has made significant contributions to vascular biology research ^{[8] [9]}

• 2023 - Michael Potente, MD, Berlin Institute of Health at Charité ^{[10] [11]}
• 2022 - Stefania Nicoli, PhD, Yale University ^{[12] [13]}
• 2021 - Dr. Fernández-Hernando, Yale University
• 2020 - Kristy Red-Horse, PhD, Stanford University
• 2019 - Anne Eichmann, PhD, Yale Cardiovascular Research Center
• 2018 - Christiana Ruhrberg, PhD, University College London

The Earl P. Benditt Award

This award honors Earl P. Benditt. It is given to an established researcher who has contributed seminal work to vascular biology research ^{[14] [15]}

• 2023 - Miikka Vikkula, MD, PhD, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium
• 2022 - Joyce E Bischoff, PhD, Harvard Medical School
• 2021 - Guillermo Oliver, MS, PhD, Center for Vascular and Developmental Biology and Director of the Regenerative Biology & Stem Cell Initiative at Northwestern University
• 2020 - Patricia D’Amore, PhD, MBA, Harvard Medical School
• 2019 - William Sessa, PhD, Yale University
• 2018 - Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, Professor at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Edwin L. Steele Laboratory for Tumor Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital.

References