By Rodney Campbell, ABR Communications Manager October 2024;17(5):11 There are more than 1,300 subject matter experts who serve as ABR volunteers. They write exam questions, serve on Angoff committees, give oral exams, and act as go-betweens with candidates and diplomates on Initial and Continuing Certification advisory committees. Some, like Ezana Azene, MD, find their talents…
By Matthew B. Podgorsak, PhD, ABR Board of Trustees Chair October 2024;17(5):5 According to the ABR Bylaws, the Board of Trustees is a “multidisciplinary body that advances the quality, relevance and effectiveness of the ABR’s assessments for certification.” Trustees are distributed among the four disciplines certified by the ABR: diagnostic radiology, interventional radiology/diagnostic radiology, medical…
By Rodney Campbell, ABR Communications Manager October 2024;17(5):12 As an ABR radiation oncology oral examiner, Malika Siker, MD, puts herself in the place of the candidate. She knows that an examiner’s goal is to gauge knowledge and ensure that examinees can independently treat patients safely. But she and her colleagues also understand the nerves that…
By Cheri L. Canon, MD, ABR President, and John A. Kaufman, MD, MS, ABR President-elect October 2024;17(5):4 The ABR is seeking qualified applicants for a volunteer public member position on its Board of Governors (BOG). The board’s mission is to certify that our diplomates demonstrate the requisite knowledge, skill, and understanding of their disciplines to…
By Catheryn Yashar, MD, ABR Trustee, and David Laszakovits, MBA, ABR Communications Director October 2024;17(5):9 To maintain ABR certification, radiation oncology diplomates with certificates issued after 1994 are required to participate in Continuing Certification (CC, formerly Maintenance of Certification [MOC]). Lifetime certificates are valid without participation in CC, although lifetime certificate holders are strongly encouraged…
By Rodney Campbell, ABR Communications Manager October 2024;17(5):13 Physicians across the country use Breast Cancer Awareness Month as an opportunity to encourage patients to undergo screenings that help save lives. Estimates state that more than 310,000 Americans will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Knowledge and access are power. An article in the RSNA’s…
By James B. Spies, MD, MPH, ABR Associate Executive Director for Interventional Radiology, and John A. Kaufman, MD, MS, ABR President-elect October 2024;17(5):7 One of the inherent benefits of ABR’s Online Longitudinal Assessment (OLA) for diagnostic radiology (DR) and interventional radiology/diagnostic radiology (IR/DR) diplomates is the flexibility of the program in allowing individuals to align…
By Robert A. Pooley, PhD, Former ABR Trustee; Kalpana M. Kanal, PhD, ABR Trustee; Matthew B. Podgorsak, PhD, ABR Board of Trustees Chair; and Geoffrey S. Ibbott, PhD, ABR Associate Executive Director for Medical Physics October 2024;17(5):8 In this issue of The Beam, we focus our spotlight on ABR Trustee Jennifer R. Stickel, PhD, a…
By Brent Wagner, MD, MBA, ABR Executive Director October 2024;17(5):3 The ABR has two governing bodies staffed by volunteers: the Board of Governors (BOG) and the Board of Trustees (BOT). The following chart illustrates the connections among these two groups, our approximately 1,300 volunteers, and about 100 full-time staff. For more information, please see this…
By Rodney Campbell, ABR Communications Manager October 2024;17(5):10 This past summer, future diagnostic and interventional radiologists completed their internships and started residencies. We caught up with six of them to see what they think of the experience so far and what they expect from their training. Amanda Bronte Balon, MD Mount Sinai Medical Center “Starting…
By Stephen F. Simoneaux, MD, and Desiree E. Morgan, MD, ABR Governors; Mary S. Newell, MD, ABR Associate Executive Director for Diagnostic Radiology; and Brent Wagner, MD, MBA, ABR Executive Director October 2024;17(5):6 For the Diagnostic Radiology Certifying Exam, the ABR will be transitioning from a computer-based exam to an oral exam in 2028. The…
October 2024;17(5):15 Former ABR President James P. Borgstede, MD, was recently selected as one of three 2024 Gold Medal winners by the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Board of Directors. The Gold Medal is RSNA’s highest honor and is awarded annually to individuals who have excelled in their service to the science of radiology….
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.