Meet the 2022 Walter P. de Groot Scholars

AVLS is thrilled to welcome three distinguished Physicians-in-Training to Annual Congress in New Orleans as this year's Walter P. de Groot Scholars. Learn more about them below, and join us at Annual Congress to welcome them to the AVLS!

Rachel Drgastin is working as the Lead Medical Assistant and Educational Director at the Inovia Vein Specialty Clinics in Oregon. With an interest in venous and lymphatic medicine, she has applied for medical school with hopes of matriculating in 2023. She has been collaborating with a group of vein experts on the anatomy and clinical care of anterior saphenous vein reflux to pursue her passion for advancing medicine and improving healthcare accessibility. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biology from George Fox University where she was also an All-American Athlete on the Women's Golf Team and served as the team captain.

Carlos Echevarria, MD, MMM is the Harvard University Venous & Lymphatic Medicine fellow in the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital; one of the most renowned medical institutions in the world. Originally from Peru, he graduated from medical school at the USMP in the top 10 percent of his class, and completed his residency in internal medicine at the Maricopa County Hospital in Phoenix, AZ. The patient population and affiliations with the University of Arizona and Mayo Clinic enriched his clinical competence  and academic excellence. Additionally, he trained on the management of vascular lesions in the Department of Dermatology at UC Irvine/Beckmann Laser Institute. As a Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal and Emergency Medicine, he has been training residents and medical students in vascular medicine and the performance of minimally invasive interventions. He has been the winner of multiple awards from the American Society for Laser in Medicine & Surgery (ASLMS), American Venous Forum (AVF), and The American Vein & Lymphatic Society (AVLS). In addition to his medical work and service, Dr. Echevarria is the national medical director for MAKI Alliance; a non-profit organization performing humanitarian work around the world.

Nallely Saldana Ruiz is a vascular surgery fellow at the University of Washington. In 2010 she completed a Master of Public Health at Columbia University, focusing on epidemiology and health disparities. She then completed medical school at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, where she discovered a passion for surgery and surgical disparities research. Prior to vascular surgery fellowship, Nallely completed general surgery training at the University of Southern California, where she also did a clinical research fellowship year with the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery.