One of the effects of the pandemic for ABR candidates was the temporary limbo they faced in pursuing board certification. There were several months when exam centers were closed for in-person gatherings or greatly restricted because of COVID’s rapid and deadly spread. Kristen McConnell, PhD, was one of those candidates. On track to earn her…
ABR Trustee Catheryn Yashar, MD, was voted president-elect by the membership of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) in July. She will begin her term during the organization’s annual meeting next month and will become president in September 2026. Dr. Yashar is a professor of radiation medicine and applied sciences at the University of…
Marc Mendonca, PhD, learned a lot in his more than 20 years as an ABR volunteer. One of his biggest takeaways was that even the best physicians, biologists, and physicists require time to learn how to create relevant exam questions. Even longtime question writers can occasionally struggle. “I love the fact that these are some…
As a medical physicist who once took the Maintenance of Certification Exam years ago, Miriam Weiser, MS, has a piece of advice for her fellow ABR diplomates: Use Online Longitudinal Assessment (OLA) to satisfy Part 3 of Continuing Certification. “A point-in-time exam is not easy to study for,” she said. “It’s hard to know, especially…
After a year of learning about several medical specialties during his transition year, Logan Ryals, MD, is relieved to start his residency and concentrate on career goals. While his experience, mostly with internal medicine and surgery, at Ascension Saint Joseph Hospital in the Chicago area was valuable, it was just a warm-up for what Dr….
An important date is coming for diplomates in Continuing Certification who haven’t started answering Online Longitudinal Assessment (OLA) questions yet this year. August 3 is the last day when they can start participating and still be able to reach their annual progress requirement which, for most, requires answering 52 questions. Waiting until that date to begin…
With more than 1,300 volunteers on its dozens of committees, the ABR is fortunate to have subject matter experts who are eager to share their knowledge and limited spare time to keep board certification fair and relevant. Volunteers from smaller subspecialties can be hard to find. That’s what makes physicians like Caitlin Connolly, MD, especially…
The ABR employs four experts from their fields to serve as extensions of Executive Director Brent Wagner, MD, MBA. These associate executive directors (AEDs), all of whom work part-time at the ABR, come from the four specialties that the organization certifies: diagnostic radiology (DR), interventional radiology/diagnostic radiology (IR/DR), medical physics (MP), and radiation oncology (RO). …
By Ben Babcock When the ABR administers Initial Certification exams, some people pass and others don’t. How does the ABR decide where to draw the line between a passing and failing performance? The answer is a psychometric process called standard setting. ABR Initial Certification exams use a criterion-referenced standard setting process (Angoff) that involves a…
A quick glance at the CV of Stephanie Leon, PhD, proves that she enjoys being an ABR volunteer. Dr. Leon is part of the Medical Physics (MP) Continuing Certification Advisory Committee, serves as chair of the Online Longitudinal Assessment (OLA) committee for diagnostic medical physics, and is an oral examiner. ABR exams and OLA are…
As an interventional radiologist who teaches and performs clinical work, Divya Kumari, MD, keenly understands her role as an ABR volunteer who writes Qualifying (Core) Exam questions. It’s a balancing act. “I have a good idea of what (candidates) should know, particularly diagnostic residents,” she said. “We’re writing questions that they have to be able…
After living in every corner of the country while growing up, studying and training to become a medical physicist, and starting her career, Samantha Simiele, PhD, feels at home again. Her job in Northern Alabama is a long way from her Eastern Washington roots. But, for the past year and a half, she’s enjoyed the…
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.