The Vascular Birthmarks Foundation
Dr. Linda Rozell-Shannon, PhD President and Founder
Dr. Linda Rozell-Shannon, PhD President and Founder
The Vascular Birthmarks Foundation, along with Dr. Roy Geronemus, Director of the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York, invite you to join us at the VBF 2023 Annual Conference and Super Clinic in New York City on the weekend of October 6-8, 2023.
Our annual conference and clinic is the only one of its kind in the world. We offer lectures from top experts in the field, along with individual clinic appointments with our multidisciplinary team of experts. Additional services include: free laser, free ultrasound, free dental, and free psychotherapy sessions.
Our conference and clinic serves individuals with any type of vascular birthmark, anomaly or related syndrome (VBARS) including hemangiomas, port-wine stain birthmarks, lymphatic malformations, arteriovenous malformations, venous malformations, KTS, PHACES, CLOVES, CMTC, and Sturge-Weber Syndrome, among others.
Thanks to our generous sponsors, we are able to offer a free hotel room at the beautiful Shelburne Affinia Hotel in New York City on Friday, October 6.
Your $100 all-inclusive registration fee ($25 for those requesting a fee waiver) includes all of our conference and clinic services, based on eligibility, including the hotel room for one night.
Free laser treatments and free hotel rooms fill up fast and are subject to availability and eligibility, so please register early to begin the screening process and secure your spot.
Click here for the conference checklist!
If you are a health care professional who would like to attend the conference, please register here.
Questions? Email Chris at chris@birthmark.org
The VBF 2023 Annual Conference and Super Clinic in NYC on October 6-8 offers a speaker’s forum, consultations, psychotherapy sessions, ultrasound, dental/ortho, and laser treatments to individuals with a vascular birthmark, anomaly or related syndrome (VBARS).Â
8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Friday, October 6, there will be free dental/ortho exams, led by Dr. David Darrow, and free ultrasounds, led by Dr. Giacomo Colletti. These services will be available at the NYU College of Dentistry, located at 338 E. 25th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenue)
8:00 am – 12:00 pm, Saturday, October 7, there will be a Speakers Forum at NYU Langone Health, located at 435 East 30th Street (near FDR Drive), New York, NY, 10016. The conference room is in the Medical Science Building, Schwartz, Ground Floor, Seminar Room E.
1:00 pm – 6:00 pm Saturday, October 7, all clinic appointments will take place in the offices of Dr. Roy Geronemus of the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York, located at 317 East 34th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10016.
8:30 am – 12:30 pm Sunday, October 8, free laser treatments will take place in the offices of Dr. Roy Geronemus of the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York, located at 317 East 34th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10016.
When you arrive at your first scheduled appointment or at the Speakers Forum, you will receive a clinic folder with a list of all your individually scheduled appointments, which will be based on the preferences you submit on your registration form. Our VBF staff and volunteers will be on hand to review and/or make any changes needed to your schedule so that we can ensure you get the most out of our clinical services. Please bring relevant medical records with you. Request any examinations or imaging studies from your current medical team and come prepared with your medical imaging studies on a CD, if possible, to make the most of your clinical session.
8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Friday, October 6, Dr. David Darrow, our vascular birthmarks dental expert, will provide free comprehensive dental exams to individuals who have a vascular birthmark in their gums or mouth area, at the NYU College of Dentistry, located at 338 E. 25th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenue). Note that we may also offer free orthodontic exams on Friday, subject to the availability of our expert. During the same time frame and in the same location, Dr. Giacomo Colletti, Maxillo Facial Surgeon and VBF Italy/Europe Medical Director, will offer free ultrasounds.Â
8:00 am – 12:00 pm, Saturday, October 7, there will be a Speakers Forum at NYU Langone Medical, located at 435 East 30th Street (near FDR Drive), New York, NY, 10016. The conference room is in the Medical Science Building, Schwartz, Ground Floor, Seminar Room E. Lectures are tailored towards families, not medical providers.
There will be presentations concerning hemangiomas, port-wine stains, vascular malformations, venous malformations, lymphatic malformations, Klippel Trenaunay Syndrome, and Sturge-Weber Syndrome, among other vascular birthmark types and associated syndromes. All lectures will take place in one room. (Limited to the first 200 people. All talks will be available online after the VBF 2023 Annual Conference and Super Clinic.)
A final itinerary will be provided closer to the event so you can plan which lectures you would like to attend, and our volunteers will be there to assist you. The Annual VBF Physician of the Year Award will also be presented during this event.Â
1:00 pm – 6:00 pm Saturday, October 7, all clinic appointments will take place in the offices of Dr. Roy Geronemus of the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York, located at 317 East 34th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10016. Please check in 30 minutes before your first scheduled appointment, or you may miss your spot. Our multidisciplinary teams of specialists will see every patient according to their appointments scheduled by Dr. Linda Rozell-Shannon, Ph.D. our President / Founder, who has over 28 years of experience networking children and adults with vascular birthmarks into treatment. Rest assured that Dr. Linda and our VBF team will review each file to ensure that you are seen by all the relevant teams, which are categorized by birthmark type, anomaly or syndrome. The multi-disciplinary teams of doctors will include:Â
Team A:Â Head and Neck Cases: Surgery/Radiology/Management
Team B:Â Extremity Cases: Surgery/Radiology/Management
Team C:Â PWS Birthmarks – And other cutaneous vascular birthmarksÂ
Team D:Â SWS/And Other Syndromes of the Head and NeckÂ
Team E:Â KTS/Management and Overgrowth SyndromeÂ
In addition to the teams listed above, our afternoon clinic will also include free psychotherapy sessions.
8:30 am – 12:30 pm Sunday, October 8, Dr. Roy G. Geronemus, one of the top laser specialists in the world for vascular birthmarks, will be providing free laser treatments, without anesthesia (some nerve blocks may be used), at the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York, located at 317 East 34th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10016.
After you have been pre-screened by VBF and determined to be eligible for free laser, you will also be connected directly with Dr. Geronemus’ experienced team to streamline the process, answer any of your laser-related questions, and for HIPAA purposes.Â
Free Dental and Ultrasound
Friday, October 6, 2023
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
NYU College of Dentistry, located at 338 E. 25th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenue)
Speakers Forum
Saturday, October 7, 2023
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
NYU Langone Medical
435 East 30th Street (near FDR Drive), New York, NY 10016
Medical Science Building, Schwartz, Ground Floor, Seminar Room E
Clinic Appointments
Saturday, October 7, 2023
1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York
317 East 34th Street, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Phone: (212) 941-5055
E-mail: mail@laserskinsurgery.com
Website: https://www.laserskinsurgery.com
Laser Treatment
Sunday, October 8, 2023
8:30 am – 12:30 pm
Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York
317 East 34th Street, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Phone: (212) 941-5055
Email: mail@laserskinsurgery.com
Website: https://www.laserskinsurgery.com
Shelburne Affinia Hotel
303 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10016
Phone: (212) 689-5200
Website: https://www.affinia.com/shelburne-hotel-suites/
VBF is pleased to offer a free hotel room ($300+ value) for one night only on Friday, October 6, at the beautiful Shelburne Affinia Hotel in New York, NY. The hotel is located at 303 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10016, phone (212) 689-5200. The website is https://www.affinia.com/shelburne-hotel-suites/
The hotel is within walking distance to all event venues. Only those registrants who live at least two (2) hours outside of the NY metropolitan area will be considered for a free hotel room. The hotel is within walking distance to all event venues. Only those registrants who live at least two (2) hours outside of the NY metropolitan area will be considered for a free hotel room. If you indicate on your registration form that you’d like to be considered for the free hotel room, VBF will send you a reservation link that you will use to book your free night and any additional nights needed for the event. You should receive the discounted rate for all nights. You are responsible for all hotel charges other than the free Friday night room rate paid by VBF. September 6 is the cut-off date to make hotel reservations, change an existing reservation, or cancel your reservation. If you fail to cancel an existing reservation before this date, VBF will charge you for the full amount for the room + taxes/fees.Â
If you utilize our free hotel room and fail to attend the conference, VBF will charge your credit card for the full amount of the value of the hotel room for Friday night. This policy is in place to ensure that our free rooms are used only by individuals and families with vascular birthmarks who attend our conference according to our public, non-profit mission.
Parking vouchers will only be available for the Tunnel Parking Garage, 300 East 34th Street, New York, NY, near the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York. All other parking fees will be your responsibility.
Book flights into JFK, Newark, or La Guardia Airports. From most major airports, you can take the Airtrain & subway system into Manhattan, or you can schedule an Uber, Lyft, or yellow cab ride into Manhattan. You can chart your subway trips using the Transit feature on Google Maps.
Tunnel Parking Garage to the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York: 150 ft walk (1 minute walk)Â
Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York to Shelburne Affinia Hotel: 9 minute walk (.5 mile) / or 10 minute drive (1.2 miles)
Shelburne Affinia Hotel to Tunnel Parking Garage: 8 minute walk (.5 mile) or 10 minute drive (1.2 miles)
If you need a visa, please contact your embassy to find out requirements. When requested by you, Dr. Geronemus’ office will try to assist in providing you the necessary letter of support needed to come for the free treatment.Â
Please check New York State Department of Health for the latest guidelines: https://www.health.ny.gov
There are several steps to the registration process:
1. Complete the online registration form.
2. You will receive a confirmation email from VBF. This means you have successfully registered.Â
3. Dr. Linda will review the photo and information you submitted to confirm that your vascular birthmark, anomaly and/or related syndrome (VBARS) type qualifies for one of our free services. You will receive an approval email within two weeks of your registration date.
4. You can expect to receive several reminder and update emails that will include important information leading up to the Conference and Clinic. Please continue to look for them, read them thoroughly, and respond as directed. Detailed information and updates will also be available at the website.
5. Forty-five days before the event, you will receive an email asking you to once again confirm that you still plan to attend. If you do not respond by the deadline assigned in the email, you will be taken off the registration list. All appointment spots are precious and must be saved for those who intend to show up. If at any time your plans change and you can no longer attend, please let us know.
6. Approximately two weeks before the event, you will receive an email with a schedule of your appointment times.Â
Registration Fees: Your all-inclusive $100 registration fee includes all the services described above, including access to the Speakers Forum, clinic appointments, psychotherapy support, free laser treatment, dental/ortho and ultrasound exams, and 1-night hotel lodging, subject to eligibility and availability. If there is a financial hardship, the full $100 registration fee will be waived when you select the $25 payment option on the registration form and pay the mandatory $25 processing fee.
*Hotel: September 6 is the cut-off date to make hotel reservations, change an existing reservation or cancel your reservation. If you fail to cancel an existing reservation before this date, VBF will charge you the full amount for the room + taxes/fees.
Registration: VBF will give a 100% refund of your registration fee if you cancel at least 30 days prior to the conference (by September 6) or a 50% refund if you cancel by September 22. There will be no refunds after September 22.Â
No food will be provided. There are many affordable dining options within a short walking distance from the hotel and all event venues.Â
No daycare will be provided. Families are allowed to accompany their child into the conference and clinic.Â
Register online here or download, print and mail-in / e-mail a registration form. We need at least one clear photo of the birthmark (uploaded during the online registration process or sent by mail or email to info@birthmark.org) showing the birthmark for each patient so that we can ensure that the patient is scheduled with the appropriate clinic team, and to assess if the patient is qualified for the free laser treatment. (Please add in the subject line: Birthmark photo for 2023 Conference registration.)
Questions? Email Chris at chris@birthmark.org.Â