40+ Years
Advancing Vascular Health
The Foundation to Advance Vascular Cures was founded in 1982 with the vision that prevention will be the ultimate cure.
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We began as an organization focused on supporting research and over the years have expanded into education and awareness.
Our History
2024
CHAMPIONS
Foundation to Advance Vascular Cures joined Dr. Leigh Ann O’Banion, a UCSF Fresno vascular surgeon, in scaling the CHAMPIONS initiative, developed to address inequities in vascular care.
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Since its launch, CHAMPIONS has provided free cardiovascular health screenings and education to over 650 participants through multiple community events.
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2023
Frederick M. Binkley Award Established
Dr. Katharine McGinigle, Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina, was named the inaugural recipient of the Binkley Research Award for her innovative project focused on advancing precision medicine in Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD).
Her work develops a flexible statistical framework that utilizes electronic health records and biospecimens to build scalable, data-driven treatment algorithms.
This award stems from priorities identified during the 2023 Vascular Health Innovation Summit and reflects the Foundation’s commitment to supporting patient-informed pilot projects that address critical gaps in vascular research.
2022
PCORI Funds Our Patient Engagement
The Foundation to Advance Vascular Cures was awarded a Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award to launch a groundbreaking project focused on improving health equity and research outcomes for Chinese-speaking vascular patients in California.
In collaboration with USC, Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare, and community partners, this initiative promotes diverse patient engagement in vascular research.
The project is co-led by board member and patient advocate Steve Hamburger, Foundation CEO Isabel Bjork, Dr. Shih of USC, and Dr. Emily Rosario of Casa Colina.
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2021
25 Years of the Wylie Scholar Program
​The Wylie Program celebrates 25 years of providing career development grants to outstanding young vascular surgeon-scientists who combine active patient care with academic research.​
2020
Work Continues Remotely During COVID
CPCR Grants are awarded to two teams of established clinician-scientists at four leading academic medical centers, supported by a collaborative research laboratory. The research projects are identifying biomarkers to better understand who will respond better (or worse) to treatments and identify new targets for future drugs.
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The Vascular Innovation Summit Series, held virtually due to the COVID pandemic, tackles timely and critical questions that address patient-centric issues in vascular health, with a focus on “Patient-Centered Technology for Harnessing & Using Data Remotely.”
2019
Patient-Reported Outcomes Working Group Formed
The Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in PAD
(PROM-PAD) Working Group brings together a multi-disciplinary group of experts, scientists, governmental and industry stakeholders, and patients to improve how patients experience data (e.g. quality of life) is used in research and care.
2017
First CPCR Grants Awarded
Vascular Cures funds the first Collaborative Patient-Centered Research (CPCR) Grants to conduct projects that use shared research resources and generate results within 1 – 2 years.
Project Voice feasibility research studies with multiple partners evaluate a digital health platform coupled with walking activity tracking for patients with PAD.
2015
Project Voice
Project Voice introduces a national patient-centered initiative that leverages the power of digital health to improve outcomes through empowerment in patients with Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). The program concept came out of the 2014 Summit.
2014
First Research & Innovation Summit
Vascular Cures hosts the first Research & Innovation Summit, bringing together ~60 leaders from ~25 patient care, research, biopharma & devices, payers, investors and regulatory bodies to brainstorm collaborative projects that will create and leverage research resources from institutions across the US.
2013
Vascular Cures Research Network Launches
The Vascular Cures Research Network launches.
This collaborative research consortium brings world-class investigators together to solve the most urgent problems facing patients with vascular disease.
2006
Wylie Scholar Program 10 Year Anniversary
The Wylie Scholar Program celebrates 10 years of funding research for promising vascular surgeon scientists.
2000
LAVR founded at UCSF
The Laboratory for Accelerated Vascular Research (LAVR) is founded at UCSF, in conjunction with Vascular Cures.
LAVR is a unique collaboration of scientists and physicians to generate new knowledge in vascular biology and device technology. The LAVR was supported by the Wayne & Gladys Valley Foundation.
1996
Wylie Scholar Program Launches
The Wylie Scholar Program launches, awarding research grants to outstanding early career surgeon-scientists.
Wylie Scholars have become department chairs and leading surgeon-scientists at academic institutions across North America — and their research is contributing to innovations to improve vascular health.
1990
Supporting Basic Vascular Science
Vascular Cures expands to support basic vascular science, focusing on the causes and mechanisms of vascular disease.
1982
The Foundation to Advance Vascular Cures is Created
Ronald J. Stoney, MD and William K. Ehrenfeld, MD, vascular surgeons at the University of California, San Francisco, founded the Pacific Vascular Research Foundation, now The Foundation to Advance Vascular Cures, to support research and develop innovative treatment strategies.
