WCVIS Perspectives from SIR 2025

Attending my first SIR in Nashville this year was the experience of a lifetime! It was the first time that I had ever attended a conference in person and I had such a good time finally meeting so many people in person. Especially as a pre-med, everything was a new experience and exciting! I had a blast attending lectures, especially the Extreme IR and Embo M&M conference. Seeing the craziest cases across the country was eye opening and helped broaden my understanding of VIR as a whole. In addition, meeting with people at all different stages in their career gave me a holistic perspective of VIR as a career path overall. I enjoyed meeting med students newly interested in VIR to attendings with 30 years of experience. I feel that it connected me deeper to the specialty, gave me insight and helped me understand the VIR culture further. I also appreciated the expo with all the different tech/innovation- the simulations were my favorite. I can’t wait to come back next year! 

Encouraged by my mentor and a desire to learn more about what VIR entails, I booked my ticket to Nashville within two weeks of hearing about the SIR Conference. What I found was more than a series of educational sessions. It was an inspiring experience that fostered my passion for VIR. As a first-year medical student, I was still navigating multiple interests and believed I would eventually have to narrow them down, to somehow box myself into one path. What I saw at SIR proved me wrong. I had the opportunity to connect with physicians and WCVIS mentors who not only shared their diverse wealth of knowledge (from fibroids to genicular artery embolization and more!) but also offered their genuine support. I was humbled and empowered to be surrounded by a community that chases the edge of innovation from various angles and is committed to mentoring the next generation. I left feeling seen, supported, and more motivated than ever to pursue a future in VIR! 

At SIR, it was amazing to see the advancements in the field, including new research ranging from pulmonary embolism care to gastrointestinal interventions. What stood out most was the growing emphasis on the importance of clinical VIR. It’s clear that procedural excellence alone is no longer enough—meaningful patient care requires dedicated follow-up and a strong clinical presence. The potential of this field can only be reached by holistically managing the patient, extending outside of the angiosuite. Our society, WCVIS, is playing a vital role in championing this shift, reinforcing the importance of clinical VIR in improving outcomes and elevating the specialty to its full potential. Through various events, amazing speakers, and a team of dedicated members, this society places a strong emphasis on the values that strengthen the field of VIR.

Coming to SIR for the first time and celebrating the 50th anniversary of SIR was truly an unforgettable experience! I got to attend as a Medical Student Scholar and was excited to learn about new developments in the field as well as meet many of my WCVIS colleagues in person for the first time. Memorable events for me included the URM section Research and Leadership Mixer, where I was intrigued to learn about the translational research of Dr. CY Zhan at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He is both a clinical VIR and a researcher, using immunotherapy from his VIR procedures to create personalized therapies for cancer treatment. 

I loved the Medical Student Section programming led by our very own Anna Hu; we were able to mingle and learn from current residents and 4th years who just matched and hear invaluable advice from our future colleagues. Hearing about new advances in pulmonary embolism research and the role VIR will play in establishing PE response teams (PERTs) continues to inspire me about where our field will grow next. The Dotter lecture this year by Dr. Lindsay Machan of the University of British Columbia continues to remind us that collaboration and innovation are vital to making our specialty thrive - from inventing the first guidewire to envisioning smart medical devices for the future. I can't wait to attend next year and highly recommend it for students and trainees at any level - come, connect, be inspired, and bring your knowledge back to expand the world of VIR!