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COLLECTION Identifier: H MS b46

New England Society for Vascular Surgery records

Overview

The New England Society for Vascular Surgery records, 1973-2003, document the founding and activities of a professional, volunteer organization committed to the education, oversight, and advancement of vascular surgeons in New England. Correspondence, meeting minutes and reports, and programs describe the activities of the organization, including governance and annual meetings.

Dates

  • 1973-2003.

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Access requires advance notice. There are restrictions on access to this collection. The collection is restricted for 20 years from the date of creation, except to current, senior, honorary, and inactive members of the society. Series IC contains membership applications that are restricted for 80 years. Researchers may apply for access to restricted records. Consult Public Services for further information.

Conditions Governing Use

The Harvard Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in the collection. Researchers are responsible for identifying and contacting any third-party copyright holders for permission to reproduce or publish. For more information on the Center's use, publication, and reproduction policies, view our Reproductions and Use Policy.

Extent

2.3 cubic feet (2 record cartons, 1 document box)

The New England Society for Vascular Surgery records, 1973-2003, document the founding of NESVS and its activities on behalf of vascular surgeons in New England. The three accessions were interfiled in 2003, reflecting the original order of the collection, and processed into three series. Duplicates were removed, and material originally kept in binders was placed in folders; the binders were discarded.

The bulk of the records, including correspondence and programs, document the annual meetings. Several audiocassettes and one videotape describe some of the meeting sessions and presidential addresses. There is a sequence of photographs of past presidents from 1973-1997 that were made in 1998, as well as photographs from the 1997 annual meeting. Also included are correspondence and meeting notes about the Executive Council's administration of the NESVS, and planning materials and an organizational history relating to the NESVS' 25th anniversary celebration. The collection is restricted for 20 years from the date of creation except to members of the society; membership applications in Series IC are restricted for 80 years.

Historical Note

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, vascular surgery began to emerge as a distinct surgical specialty. By the late 1960s, some medical residencies had begun to offer formal specialty-specific training. Although a national vascular surgery society was founded in 1947, as the number of vascular surgeons in New England grew there were concerns among them that the national society was too large and distant to help local surgeons increase their knowledge and skills. In September 1973, at the St. Botolph’s Club in Waterville, Maine, a group of surgeons met at the invitation of Dr. Ralph A. Deterling to discuss the creation of a regional professional society. They established a volunteer-based organization of practicing vascular surgeons, the New England Society of Vascular Surgery (NESVS). The Executive Council, the governing and administrative body of the NESVS, votes in new members annually. Executive Council members, who serve a one-year term, are voted in by the general membership every year at the annual meeting. Annual meetings, which continue to be the central focus of the NESVS' activities, include professional sessions, a program for spouses, a business meeting, and a meeting of the Executive Council.

Series and Subseries Arrangement

  1. Series I. Administrative Records, 1975-1998
  2. ___ Subseries A. Executive Council, 1975-1998
  3. ___ Subseries B. Organizational Records, 1975-1998
  4. ___ Subseries C. Membership Applications, 1975-1984
  5. Series II. Annual Meetings, 1973-2003
  6. ___ Subseries A. Planning Records, 1973-2002
  7. ___ Subseries B. Programs, 1977-2003
  8. ___ Subseries C. Presidential Addresses, 1982-1998
  9. Series III. Photographs and Audiovisual Materials, 1989-1999
  10. ___ Subseries A. Photographs, 1997-1998
  11. ___ Subseries B. Audiovisual Materials, 1989-1999

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The New England Society for Vascular Surgery records were donated by the organization to the Harvard Medical Library in the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine in 1981, 1985, and 2003.

Processing Information

Processed by: Jessica M. Parr, November 2003

Processing Note: The New England Society for Vascular Surgery Records were processed with support from the organization.

Title
New England Society for Vascular Surgery. Records, 1973-2003: A Finding Aid.
Author
Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine. Center for the History of Medicine.
Language of description
und
EAD ID
med00044

Repository Details

Part of the Center for the History of Medicine (Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine) Repository

The Center for the History of Medicine in the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine is one of the world's leading resources for the study of the history of health and medicine. Our mission is to enable the history of medicine and public health to inform healthcare, the health sciences, and the societies in which they are embedded.

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