‘AVA Foundation’ Is New Name for Vascular Access Group

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Wise Foundation has announced the transition to its new name, the Association for Vascular Access (AVA) Foundation. The new name better emphasizes the organization’s bond with its parent organization, the Association for Vascular Access.

“By utilizing this new name, the foundation clarifies its direct channel of supporting the association’s need for research and education in vascular access”

The organization also noted the addition of three new members to its Board of Directors.

“By utilizing this new name, the foundation clarifies its direct channel of supporting the association’s need for research and education in vascular access,” said board President Denise Macklin, BSN, RNC. “The new name will also help us better communicate the opportunity that organizations and individuals have to support vascular access activities."

The foundation focuses on saving lives through risk free vascular access. It promotes education to enhance professionals’ knowledge and skills in vascular access, along with research necessary for evidence-based vascular access practice.

These efforts support the efforts of AVA itself to:

* Increase awareness of the risks and benefits associated with vascular access;

* Improve patient safety, comfort and outcomes, and

* Help define the vascular access specialty.

The AVA Foundation’s new directors increase the number of board members from six to nine.

“The addition of these accomplished individuals is another sign that the foundation has entered a new era in promoting education and research in vascular access,” said Macklin. “These new members, along with our recent large grant from AVA and the growth in our corporate support, demonstrate that the foundation is entering a time of much greater outreach and activity.”

The newly announced additions to the AVA Foundation’s Board of Directors are Christopher J. Cuzzola, B.A., M.Ed.; Bryan Davis, MBA, BSME; and Connie Henke Yarbro, MS, RN, FAAN.

About the New Board Members

* Christopher J. Cuzzola, B.A., M.Ed. Chris's professional experience spans more than 20 years of successful organizational leadership in both the public and private sectors. Currently he is owner, member shareholder, and Chief Customer Officer for PSI Medical.

* Bryan Davis, MBA, BSME is Global Strategic Marketing Manager for BD Medical. He has more than 18 years of experience in healthcare, 16 of which have been involved with advancing the practices of infusion therapy and vascular access. He has also helped develop more than 20 vascular access-related devices, including current market-leading products that improve patient and healthcare worker safety.

* Connie Henke Yarbro, MS, RN, FAAN is an Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia Sinclair School of Nursing. She is also Editor-in-Chief of Seminars in Oncology Nursing. One of the founders of the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS), she served as ONS president from 1979-1983. She co-founded the ONS Foundation and served as its president from 1982-1988. She is a co-editor of numerous books on oncology nursing and author of more than 90 articles and book chapters in the same subject area.

About the AVA Foundation for Research and Education

The AVA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) educational and research foundation that supports the mission of the Association for Vascular Access, in part by offering research grants and educational scholarships to further the development of evidence-based, vascular access care. For more information, call 412-916-6647, or visit www.ava-foundation.net.