Reflections of an Outgoing IR/DR Board Member
By Anne Covey, MD, ABR Trustee
2025;18(5):6
As yearly transitions take shape, with summer easing into fall and kids going back to school, it is also a time of change at the American Board of Radiology. I have had the honor to serve as an ABR Trustee for the last eight years, overseeing the IR/DR exam writing committees and the IR/DR Oral Certifying Exam. Working side-by-side with outstanding leaders like John Kaufman, MD, MS; Jim Spies, MD, MPH; and Jeanne Laberge, MD, who came before me, and with Vicki Marx, MD, and Paul Rochon, MD, who came after, has been a true highlight of my career. Approaching the bittersweet transition of rotating off the Board of Trustees (BOT), I am proud to hand over the reins to the very capable Darryl Zuckerman, MD, and John Fritz Angle, MD.
Quite a lot has happened since I joined the BOT in 2017. That year, the ABR transitioned the CAQ certificate in interventional radiology to the primary IR/DR certificate. Forced by COVID only a few years later, the ABR successfully moved to remote exams — allowing more flexibility for candidates, minimizing travel time, and at long last putting an end to conducting oral exams in hotel rooms. This was time sensitive and incredibly important to get right. It took a herculean effort by the Exam Delivery and IT teams to build an entirely new platform to make it happen. Now the Board is gearing up for another important challenge: the new Diagnostic Radiology Oral Exam that will be required of both DR and IR/DR candidates.
Before joining the Board, I had little understanding as to how the ABR leadership was organized or, for that matter, the depth of thought and intense planning that goes into creating and delivering a reliable exam that is both fair to candidates and serves to protect the public. The BOT is composed (at the time of this writing) of 21 members who represent diverse fields in diagnostic and interventional radiology, radiation oncology, and medical physics. The Board is responsible for the content, quality, and administration of all qualifying and certifying exams.
Creating high quality exams to allow candidates to demonstrate they possess the appropriate knowledge and skills to practice safely is a challenging and time-consuming task. It requires hundreds of volunteers, some donating several hours every month on top of clinical responsibilities, which seem to increase every year. As for my experience on the Board, somehow it never really felt like work. It was invigorating to meet and work with so many like-minded volunteers and ABR staff toward a singular goal. Even though it required a lot of time and effort, it more than paid back in purpose and meaning.
As I reflect on my time on the Board, I am incredibly proud of what we were able to accomplish, grateful for the friends I made, and indebted to the amazing ABR staff, who have a charming way of making it all happen while letting volunteers like me take most of the credit. The work we accomplished as a team was important and meaningful, and reminded me just how much I love radiology. And for that I will always be grateful.
