Dr. Michael S. Conte will present "Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD): the New Cardiovascular Epidemic" at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on Wednesday, June 30, 2010.
PAD is a condition that results from blockage of arteries in the extremities, affecting 8-12 million Americans and growing. Diabetes and smoking are the two strongest risk factors. Patients with PAD have a 2-6 fold increased risk of mortality from heart attack or stroke. Many with PAD have severe disability and some are at risk of amputation. PAD is underdiagnosed and undertreated, and a concerted effort is needed to educate the public and physicians, and to accelerate research to develop new treatments.
About Michael S. Conte, MD
Michael S. Conte , MD is the Professor and Chief, Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at UCSF. Previously, he was the Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and Director of Vascular Surgery Research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston. He was also Co-Director of the Clinical Trials Group at the Center for Surgery and Public Health, a joint initiative of Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Harvard School of Public Health. He has authored or co-authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications, as well as numerous book chapters and reviews. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the Society for Vascular Surgery and has served on the scientific advisory board of several biotechnology/pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Conte currently serves as an Associate Editor for Circulation, and is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Vascular Surgery, Vascular Medicine, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, and Vascular.
