Annual SPecialist Registrar
Educational Programme (ASPIRE)
Core Portfolio Additional Courses ASPIRE Digital Financial Support. Further Information
The Vascular Society has a strong interest in vascular training, and strives to maintain standards of training for vascular surgeons. To this end, the Society launched the Annual Specialist Registrar Educational (ASPIRE) programme in October 2013. The ASPIRE programme supports the education and development of resident doctors in vascular surgery throughout their training, and compliments the national curriculum. The training courses delivered by the Society is supported by the online platform, VORTEX which was established in 2024.
Over time, the ASPIRE programme has evolved with additional courses aimed at delivering education across our membership, whilst still maintaining the ASPIRE branding.
Events
The Society's Education and Training Committee, chaired by Miss Kaji Sritharan, is responsible for developing, managing and delivering the ASPIRE programme., which includes the Core ASPIRE course portfolio and additional courses.
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Each year, the ASPIRE programme takes the form of six 2-day courses. Each of the courses are led by a senior expert faculty, giving the trainees access to experienced senior vascular surgeons.
The courses are designed to support trainees through each step of their training, and provide valuable mentorship by senior vascular surgeons throughout their journey.
ASPIRE 3: Introduction to vascular surgery training
The ASPIRE 3 course provides an overview of vascular surgical training and an introduction to venous, open and endovascular techniques.
The date of course is to be decided for 2026.
Those who have been successful in gaining a National Training Number will be contacted in late May / early June 2026.
More details will be provided here in due course.
ASPIRE 4: Essential operative techniques
ASPIRE 4 takes a cadaveric-based approach to facilitate practical understanding in open surgical arterial and venous exposures within the lower and upper limbs.
The course this year will take place in Cambridge with the course convened by Miss Diane Hildebrand. Due to numbers we will run two 2-day courses.
The dates of the course are: 15th to 18th September 2026.
This course will be for those who started their ST4 year between August and October. If you attended the ASPIRE 3 course in Sept 2025 then your ASPIRE 4 course will be in 2027.
ASPIRE 5: Advanced vascular surgery training
ASPIRE 5 provides an overview of the management of several core facets of vascular surgery including the management of AAA, CLTI and Renal Access. This course incorporates a number of practical stations with a focus on endovascular techniques, alongside a series of casebased discussions.
This course will run in South London on 21st-22nd May 2026. The course director is Mr. Paul Moxey.
ASPIRE 6: Advanced operative techniques
ASPIRE 6 is a cadaveric-based course exploring complex arterial and venous exposures in the neck/ thorax and abdomen. This course also explores the management of complex aortic and venous pathologies, discussing the latest technological advances in the endovascular management and infra-, juxta- and suprarenal aortic aneurysmal disease. The course also provides an introduction to the role of endovascular technologies in the treatment of deep venous disease.
This course will take place in Newcastle on 2nd-3rd July 2026. The course director is Miss Claire Dawkins.
ASPIRE 7: Preparation for FRCS (Vasc.)
ASPIRE 7 offers simulated clinical examination with patients and simulated oral examinations including the academic stations.
This course will run in Cardiff on 19th-20th March 2026 . The course directors are Mr Huw Davies and Mr Lewis Meecham.
ASPIRE 8: Preparation for consultant practice
Over the course of the two days, mock interviews and presentation processes are undertaken, providing resident doctors with the required skills for not only the consultant interview but for life as a consultant vascular surgeon.
Mr Jon Ghosh and his team in Manchester will run the course on 9th-10th March 2026.
Each of the courses are led by a senior expert faculty, giving the trainees access to experienced senior vascular surgeons. The courses are designed to support trainees through each step of their training, and provide valuable mentorship by senior vascular surgeons throughout their journey.
The ASPIRE course series has proved invaluable to the future of vascular surgery.
We would like to thank all the faculty who have helped support the ASPIRE courses this year. The VSGBI Education & Training committee are hugely grateful for your help and support. Without which, we would not be able to provide the education portfolio that we do.
ASPIRE Report 2023ASPIRE Report 2024ASPIRE Report 2025
The Education and Training Committee continues to evolve the educational portfolio on offer to the vascular surgery community within Great Britain and Ireland. There are a number of additional courses that we now run alongisde the core ASPIRE programme.
Information on these can be found below:
ASPIRE SAS/LED Course. Online. 10th July 2026.
Organiser: Miss Kasia Bera; Mr Andrew Irwin Khallaf; Mr Marco Baroni.
This course ran for the third time on the 6th June 2025, having received excellent feedback previously. The courses focus on aspects of the vascular surgery curriculum and the requirements for career progression. In 2026, there will be sessions on management, leadership, FRCS exam and Potfolio Pathway before a clinical updates session, this time focussing on Vascular Trauma in collaboration with VORTEX.
The next ASPIRE SAS/LED course is scheduled to run online on Friday 10th July 2026
If you wish to join the online event then please look out for details and joining information on the VS website or by email on SAS@vascularsociety.org.uk.
ASPIRE Venous Course. 23rd November 2027. VSGBI ASM.
Organiser: TBC - in collaboration with the RSM Venous Forum.
The ASPIRE Venous course was first run in 2023 at the ASM in Dublin, with 36 candidates in attendance. It is a comprehensive course covering all aspects of managing superficial venous reflux.
The next ASPIRE Venous course is scheduled to run in November 2027.
ASPIRE Vascular Trauma Course. 24th November 2026. Liverpool.
Organisers: Mr Ross Davenport. Mr Chris Alwyn. Miss Kaji Sritharan.
Following on from the succes of the ASPIRE Trauma course at the VSGBI ASM in Brighton in 2024, the ASPIRE Trauma course will run again at the ASM in Liverpool in 2026. ASPIRE Trauma is aimed at senior vascular surgery trainees and consultants and will provide a broad overview of all aspects of trauma management for vascular surgeons.
Programme
ASPIRE VS / SVN Study Day. 9th July 2026. Online.
Organisers: Miss Vicky Bristow (SVN) and Miss Kaji Sritharan (VS)
The course this year will be the third course that we have run. The link to register is below and covers a broad range of topics of relevance to the vascular nurses and allied healthcare professionals.
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=slTDN7CF9UeyIge0jXdO40V2-gyG6vNInKzj76IXpPRUMkE3RERCWFE0VlhORFZLV1FaR1pQWUJaQS4u
ASPIRE Early Years Consultant Course, 14th-15th June 2026, Birmingham.
Organisers: Miss Kaji Sritharan (VS)
The early years consultant course will run for a third time in June 2026. It focuses on a breadth of key non-surgical aspects that are key to a smooth transition in to life as a consultant vascular surgeon.
In response to the global challenge, posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vascular Society took an early innovative decision to continue to deliver education via the ASPIRE Digital platform. This has resulted in an overwhelming response, and provided a growing resource of education for vascular surgeons.
To date, there have been 43 webinars that have been delivered since May 2019. These have delivered in blocks of webinars which have taken place on a Monday at 2000 hours. The format has tended to focus on a topic, presented with an expert panel available for discussion and questions. Attendances has on average been between 40- 50 participants per live session.
Each of the recorded sessions are included on the Vascular Society members’ website. This allows for further review of the webinars which has been invaluable to trainees as part of exam preparation.
In addition, some of the sessions have been developed in association with other organisations, e.g. British Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Amputee Rehabilitation (BACPAR) and The British Society of Endovascular Therapy (BSET).
Our digital content has now moved over to the VORTEX education portfolio which can be found on the @PGVLE virtual learning platform which is run out of the West Midlands Deanery.
We are greatly indebted to NHS England (previously Health Education England) for their previous support for the ASPIRE programme and allied courses. The education programme also could not run without industry support, and we would like to recognise the support from the following companies:
- Shockwave
- Cordis
- Polynovo
- Bone Support
- Cook Medical
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- Penumbra
- Bentley
- Abbott
- Terumo Aortic
- WL Gore
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- Medtronic
- Philips
- Cordis
- Boston Scientific
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If you require further information on the ASPIRE series please email admin@vascularsociety.org.uk