Newswise — Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, 17th Surgeon General of the United States (2002-2006), vice chairman of Canyon Ranch, president of the Canyon Ranch Institute and Distinguished Professor of Public Health at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona, has joined the Board of Directors of the Vascular Disease Foundation (VDF), furthering his continued commitment to improving the vascular health of all Americans.
As a member of the VDF Board, Dr. Carmona will offer leadership and guidance to the Vascular Disease Foundation in its ongoing efforts to provide the public and health professionals with important information about the prevention of vascular disease.
"Millions of Americans and their families are affected by vascular diseases, and I look forward to working with the Vascular Disease Foundation to inform patients and the public about preventing, treating, and living with vascular disease," said Dr. Carmona. "Increasing health literacy is as important as any medical device in improving the health of Americans. I thank the Vascular Disease Foundation for their commitment to providing public education and improving awareness about vascular disease."
In 2006, Dr. Carmona convened the first-ever Surgeon General's Workshop focused on deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a vascular disease that affects up to two million people in the United States each year. DVT-related complications kill up to 200,000 Americans, more than AIDS and breast cancer combined. The Surgeon General's Workshop focused on the prevention of DVT.
In 2006, Dr. Carmona also issued the landmark Surgeon General's Report, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, which provided a comprehensive review of the scientific evidence relating tobacco smoke exposure to preventable health risks and diseases. Tobacco smoke is the single-most avoidable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States and one of the most powerful modifiable risk factors for the development of both peripheral arterial and venous thromboembolic disease.
"Dr. Carmona's proven commitment to linking scientific evidence to public education and life-saving cardiovascular prevention initiatives reflect the mission of the Vascular Disease Foundation to reduce death and disability from vascular diseases," said Dr. Mark Creager, president of the Vascular Disease Foundation.
"Dr. Carmona's knowledge and expertise will help the Foundation continue its tradition of creating collaborative vascular public health initiatives that will yield real health improvements for all Americans, as well as individuals at risk of vascular disease throughout the world," said Dr. Alan T. Hirsch, chair of the P.A.D. (peripheral arterial disease) Coalition.
The P.A.D. Coalition is a collaborative effort of 51 national health organizations, led by the Vascular Disease Foundation, that has joined with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to develop the "Stay in Circulation: Take Steps To Learn About P.A.D." public education campaign. For more information please visit http://www.padcoalition.org or http://www.aboutpad.org.
The Colorado-based Vascular Disease Foundation is the only national organization with the sole purpose of educating the public about vascular diseases. It is the most trusted source of credible, scientific and non-biased information on vascular diseases. For more information, call 888.VDF.4INFO (888.833.4463) or visit our Web site, http://www.vdf.org
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