Public Member Role Was an Educational Experience
By Toby A. Gordon, ScD, ABR Governor
2025;18(5):4
When ABR Executive Director Brent Wagner, MD. MBA, reached out to me six years ago about the public member opportunity on the ABR Board of Governors (BOG), I said without hesitation that yes, I was interested. He went on to describe the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) vision around Continuing Certification and sent me some documents to read. This was new territory to me, but I remained interested. Despite over 40 years in health care as a hospital executive and professor at Johns Hopkins University, the role of a certifying board was not an area I had studied. I wanted to better understand this piece of the puzzle of the U.S. healthcare system.
I attended my first BOG meeting in 2019 as the initial public member. From day one, I —along with my many questions — was welcomed by the other governors. John Kaufman, MD, MS, was quick to say, “You’re one of us”; Cheri Canon, MD, reached out to get to know me at the cocktail reception; and Don Flemming, MD, and I struck up a fast friendship despite our often-opposing political views.
Six years have gone by fast. COVID, of course, tested the ABR’s responsiveness, and the Board’s success in pivoting to practical solutions has been evident in all issues it has addressed. As a business school professor, I have enjoyed every minute of our work on my favorite subjects: finance, audit, ethics, and management. But most important, I will treasure the moments with all the great people I have met and the friendships I have made. I am especially grateful to Brent for introducing me to the role of the public member, one I now play at the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and health commissions in Maryland. With gratitude, I also want to commend the great staff who helped make this a meaningful experience for me. Thank you, everyone, and keep in touch!
