A prominent vascular surgeon based in Borough Park received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Vascular Surgery last month.
Enrico Ascher, a beloved professor of surgery at NYU Langone School of Medicine, was bestowed the honor in a special ceremony that occurs each year to honor the best in the field.
After more than 45 years of experience in the field, Ascher is as respected as he is accomplished. Some of his titles include being the founder and director of the Vascular Institute of New York and the Chief of Vascular Surgery at Lutheran Medical Center.
“As a family man, surgeon, academician, private practitioner and yes, as a disrupter, life has been exciting and full of unexpected turns but never lonely,” said Asher.
During his acceptance speech, he thanked his family, friends, and peers for their support and encouragement. He credited his children for supporting him the most, saying they taught him “not fear the unknown” and always give “valuable advice.”
Among his colleagues, Ascher’s work in vascular surgery is legendary with his specialties being the diagnosis and treatment of a number of vascular conditions, including chronic venous insufficiency, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), venous leg ulcers, diabetic vascular disease, pulmonary embolism, and hypertension.
“I don’t think I’ve met a vascular surgeon for that matter, any surgeon who is more thoughtful and more innovative about doing things,” said friend and colleague Dr. Anton Sidawy.
Fellow colleague Dr. Anahita Dua hailed Ascher as a “vascular celebrity,” saying, “Dr. Ascher is somebody that we as the younger crowd aspire to be.”
His closing remarks were left to the next generation of vascular surgeons whom he encouraged to further the field’s evolution and follow their instincts.
“For the younger group in the audience my message is please don’t allow the naysayers to discourage you from your original ideas particularly if these ideas are challenging all the arguments and beliefs,” said Ascher. “Vascular surgery needs you to evolve and prosper and we are confident that you will achieve this goal.”
