LEWISTON — Dr. Michael A. Ricci, chief of vascular surgery at the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute in Lewiston, has been appointed to the Society for Vascular Surgery’s Clinical Practice Council.

The Society for Vascular Surgery is a not-for-profit professional medical society, composed primarily of vascular surgeons, that seeks to advance excellence and innovation in vascular health through education, advocacy, research and public awareness.

The SVS Clinical Practice Council assists with the development of programs and products to help members successfully manage changing practice patterns, reduced reimbursement, competitive pressures and the business aspects of practice.

As a council member, Ricci will help monitor the vascular surgery practice environment, identify issues that need SVS attention and recommend strategic initiatives. He will oversee the work of reporting committees and ad hoc work groups focusing on clinical practice matters. He will also help review clinical practice sections of the SVS website.

Prior to joining the greater Lewiston-Auburn medical community last year, Ricci practiced at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vt., the major teaching hospital for the University of Vermont College of Medicine. He is co-author of more than 100 scientific articles on vascular surgery, telemedicine, simulation and operating room safety.