By ABR President-elect John A. Kaufman, MD, MS April 2026;19(2):2 Bringing years of healthcare experience and an understanding and appreciation of medical specialty board certification to the role, Christy Harris Lemak, PhD, is the ABR’s new public member on the Board of Governors (BOG). As the public member, Dr. Lemak offers a different perspective to…
By ABR Executive Director Brent Wagner, MD, MBA April 2026;19(2):3 The ABR relies on hundreds of volunteer oral examiners to administer the certification exams in radiation oncology, medical physics, and interventional radiology. Additional volunteers will be needed to support the reintroduction of the Diagnostic Radiology Oral Certifying Exam in early 2028. All ABR oral examiners…
By ABR President Cheri L. Canon, MD, and ABR Executive Director Brent Wagner, MD, MBA April 2026;19(2):4 The International Medical Graduate (IMG) Alternate Pathway (the “Pathway”) allows individuals who have completed residency training in countries other than the United States and Canada to establish ABR board eligibility through clinical activity in academic departments with residency…
By ABR Associate Executive Director for Diagnostic Radiology Mary S. Newell, MD April 2026;19(2):6 Preparatory work for the new Diagnostic Radiology Oral Certifying Exam is progressing smoothly for its 2028 launch. The newly formed DR certifying exam committees are now creating content. ABR staff continues to scale up the virtual platforms needed for an exam…
By ABR Board of Trustees Chair Matthew B. Podgorsak, PhD; ABR Trustees Jennifer Stickel, PhD, and Sameer Tipnis, PhD; and ABR Associate Executive Director for Medical Physics Geoffrey S. Ibbott, PhD April 2026;19(2):6 The March 2020 issue of The Beam included an article written by Don Frey, PhD, associate executive director for medical physics at…
By ABR Trustee Jeff Michalski, MD, MBA, FASTRO April 2026;19(2):7 Having had the privilege of serving as a board member of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and now as an ABR Trustee, I have gained a deep appreciation for how these two organizations — often discussed together but fundamentally distinct — serve complementary…
By ABR Associate Director of Communications Rodney Campbell April 2026;19(2):8 Several months into their terms as ABMS Scholars, the two residents and fellow sponsored by the ABR have learned about the program, started their projects, and worked with peers from several other Member Boards. They recently shared their thoughts about the program’s benefits. Applications are…
By ABR Associate Director of Communications Rodney Campbell April 2026;19(2):9 Being part of an ABR volunteer committee can be rewarding and challenging. Sometimes, the challenging part begins the moment a physician or physicist arrives for a summer meeting in Tucson or winter gathering in Chicago. Robert Flavell, MD, knows how Southern Arizona feels in August…
By ABR Associate Director of Communications Rodney Campbell April 2026;19(2):10 When Sharon White, PhD, joined the medical physics section of the radiology department of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) as a postdoctoral fellow in 2000, she wasn’t sure how long she would be there. “I saw an ad in Physics Today for a…
By ABR Associate Director of Communications Rodney Campbell April 2026;19(2):11 When Michel Courtines, MD, attended the Texas Radiological Society annual meeting in February, he did something he often does. He visited the ABR booth. “I make a habit of stopping by to discuss what’s new with the ABR, see if there are any updates, changes…
April 2026;19(2):12 ABR Board President Cheri L. Canon, MD, received the 2026 Society of Abdominal Radiology (SAR) Gold Medal Award during the organization’s annual meeting in March. Established in 2019, the SAR Gold Medal combined the Society’s top honors — the Walter B. Cannon Medal, the Howard M. Pollack Medal, and the Lifetime Achievement Award…
April 2026;19(2):13 At the end of the October 2026 Board meeting, the Board of Trustees will welcome three new members. Phuong-Anh T. Duong, MD will be the Trustee for diagnostic radiology quality and safety, AJ Gunn, MD, will be the new Trustee for interventional radiology, and Katja Langen, PhD, will be the Trustee for therapeutic medical physics. For more…
The ABR is a not-for-profit organization and member of the American Board of Medical Specialties. Our mission is to certify that our diplomates demonstrate the requisite knowledge, skill, and understanding of their disciplines to the benefit of patients. Our vision is to positively impact the lives of all patients as the foremost trusted certifying body assuring the highest standards of specialty expertise and professionalism in the radiological sciences.