Vascular Surgery - Department of Surgery | College of Medicine

Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy

On behalf of the entire vascular team, I would like to welcome you to the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Therapy. Our group of highly qualified, board-certified, vascular surgeons is dedicated to excellence in clinical care, education, research, and continuous quality improvement. Our team includes a group of compassionate nurses, skilled vascular technologists, supportive office staff, knowledgeable advanced practice providers and surgeons in training.

The division offers comprehensive care of patients with arterial, venous, and lymphatic disease by a team of vascular experts. We deliver high-quality patient-center care via outpatient and inpatient consultation services, less invasive endovascular interventions, and open surgical procedures covering a full range of vascular-related diseases.

Our goals are:

Care for each patient in a manner in which we ourselves would want to be treated.
Educate and mentor the next generation of vascular surgeons.
Contribute to clinical vascular research and practice evidence-based medicine.
Support a culture of continuous quality improvement.

Here at the University of Vermont Medical Center, the vascular surgical group has embraced and become highly skilled at providing new, and often, less invasive methods to treat patients with a broad range of vascular problems while maintaining excellence in open surgical procedures. Less invasive alternatives to treat aneurysmal and occlusive disease, new methods of treating patients with venous disease, and non-invasive imaging of vascular pathologies have all combined to make the treatment of vascular pathologies more patient-specific and more tolerable. We recognize that there are many different ways to treat patients with vascular disease and our surgeons work hard to ensure that patients understand those options and can make informed decisions about their care. The division continues to meet the daily challenges of matching the right procedure for the patient.

Daniel J. Bertges, MD
Professor of Surgery and Medicine

Division Chief for Vascular and Endovascular Therapy

Program Director for Vascular Surgery Fellowship

Co-Director University of Vermont Aortic Center

Faculty:

Daniel J. Bertges, MD, FACS

Division Chief, Professor & Vascular Fellowship Program Director

Katelynn Ferranti, MD

Assistant Professor & Medical Director for David Pilcher Non-Invasive Vascular Lab

Mead Ferris, MD

Associate Program Director for Vascular Surgery Fellowship

Julie Adams Lahiri, MD, FACS

Associate Professor

Andrew C. Stanley, MD, FACS

Associate Professor and Deputy Chair, Department of Surgery

Georg Steinthorsson, MD, FACS

Associate Professor

Administrative Assistant:

Tina Blais-Armell

Fellowship Program Administrator:

Mattie Pontecorvo

Education

Our educational mission is dedicated to (1) training the next generation of vascular surgeons and (2) education of non-specialists about vascular disease. We are committed to teaching at all levels including medical students, general surgery residents, cardiology fellows and vascular surgery fellows. In addition, we educate allied health professionals including vascular technologists, nurses and advanced practice providers.

We are proud of our 5+2-year vascular surgery fellowship program which has been educating fellows since 2017. Please follow this link to our Vascular Surgery Fellowship website. Medical students rotate through our service as part of their clinical clerkship and as acting interns. Medical students have participated in research projects with us through the senior major program that has gone on to presentation, peer review and publication. Students can gain exposure to the field of vascular surgery through our Vascular Surgery Interest Group (VSIG) and by attending the annual Careers in Medicine discussion. We support and mentor medical students who are interested in a career in vascular surgery and are proud of the number of who have gone onto successful matches in our sub-specialty.

Residents rotating through our service enjoy participating in the clinical care of our patients, involving in our clinical research and quality improvement efforts, and many have gone on to careers in vascular surgery.

We utilize the Clinical Simulation Laboratory which is a collaborative effort of the UVM Larner College of Medicine, the UVM College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and The University of Vermont Medical Center, serving as a centralized hub in the training of health care professionals with the ultimate goal of improving quality and safety of care.

Patient Care

Experienced and highly trained surgeons, advanced practice providers, nurses and support staff help work with patients, their family and friends through evaluations, operations and post-surgical follow-ups to assure high quality care.

Among the conditions that our vascular surgeons treat are:

Blockages in the neck arteries that can cause strokes.
Blockages in the leg arteries that can lead to serious debilitation or loss of limb.
Aneurysms of the aorta and its branches.
Chronic disorders of the veins in the legs
Compressed blood vessels or nerves in the thoracic outlet.
Other blockages in the arteries of the body such as mesenteric artery disease which can lead to abdominal pain, inability to eat and unintended weight loss

The Division offers the full scope of surgical treatment for vascular disease including:

Medical management of peripheral vascular disease
Surveillance of vascular conditions with non-invasive ultrasound testing
Minimally invasive or percutaneous techniques (angioplasty, stenting, atherectomy)
Traditional surgical therapies (bypass, endarterectomy or removal of plaque, and aneurysm repair)
Treatment of venous disease including varicose veins, chronic lower extremity ulcers due to vein insufficiency. Follow this link to learn more.
Creation of dialysis access for patients with kidney failure

Visit Vascular Surgery at The University of Vermont Medical Center, our clinical teacher partner