Volunteer Spotlight – IR: Volunteer Couldn’t Wait to Get Started
By ABR Communications Manager Rodney Campbell
February 2026;19(1):8
AJ Gunn, MD, was destined to become an ABR volunteer. Just maybe not as soon as he wanted.
His interest started right after he earned his Initial Certification in interventional radiology/diagnostic radiology (IR/DR) in 2016. As a candidate, he was already thinking of ways to improve the process, and he knew the best way to do so was by working on the inside with the ABR.
“My experience of going through the exam process was motivating,” he said. “I wanted to make the process good for the next people who came through. It was always something that was on my mind.”
Dr. Gunn was eager to join the volunteer ranks but was initially denied because he hadn’t been certified for the required year. When he first approached James Spies, MD, then a member of the ABR Board of Trustees, to see if he could get started, he was told to check back in a year. He did, and in 2017, he was added as a member of the IR/DR Certifying Exam Committee.
“I got some experience writing questions and working with committee members,” Dr. Gunn said.
Writing questions for candidates is an art. Physicians and physicists must put their experience aside when they’re doing committee work. Questions need to be relevant for examinees at those stages of their careers.
“I think about it from the candidate’s point of view,” he said. “As a practicing interventional radiologist for 10 years, there’s stuff that I think is very straightforward and routine and anybody should be able to get right. But we have to be thinking about it from a third-year resident perspective or a first-year attending’s perspective.”
Along with serving as an oral examiner, Dr. Gunn is chair of the committee that creates interventional radiology content for the DR Certifying Exam. His ABR duties fit nicely with his professional career. He started as the chair of the radiology department at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine this summer.
Working at an academic center, he’s often interacting with candidates, giving him a better understanding of how they should be examined.
“Anytime I’m on clinical service, I’ve got a trainee working with me, whether it’s a medical student, resident, or fellow,” Dr. Gunn said.
He volunteers for many other professional organizations and says that his ABR work is particularly rewarding because he can have an impact on making processes more palatable for candidates.
“Among all my volunteer activities, this is one of the ones that I get the most joy from,” he said. “What we’re doing impacts so many learners. I take that seriously. I get a lot of professional satisfaction from trying to make the process less stressful and time-consuming.”
ABR Trustee Paul Rochon, MD, works with Dr. Gunn’s committee. He said he’s impressed by the time his colleague puts in even as he gets accustomed to a challenging new job.
“Dr. Gunn is a true example of an ABR volunteer and leader,” Dr. Rochon said. “With all of his local duties and responsibilities, he still makes time to serve the Board and its constituents. He is well respected among his peers, which makes working with him a pleasure and honor.”
Dr. Gunn also has a busy personal life. He and his wife have a 12-year-old daughter who participates in swimming, volleyball, and theater. Being there for her is a priority.
“I try to make a dedicated effort to be at as many of her activities as possible,” he said. “I really enjoy doing that.”
Like many Americans, Dr. Gunn started concentrating on golf during the pandemic. The National Golf Foundation reported that more rounds were played in 2021 than any year to that point.
He said he usually shoots between 85 and 90 and doesn’t think he’ll get a lot better given his packed schedule. Instead, he gets satisfaction from the camaraderie he finds in the game.
“The groups you get together with … that’s the whole thing,” he said. “I’ve got a friend who’s a very good golfer and we play a lot together. I enjoy the fellowship. That’s the key to being happy.”
