From the Editor

From the Editor

ABR Welcomes Feedback to Improve Services to Candidates and Diplomates

By J. Anthony Seibert, PhD, ABR Governor

2022;15(2):1

Welcome to the spring edition of The Beam.

In this issue, President Vince Mathews reports on the ABR Town Halls held in late February, where individual meetings for all four specialties provided a platform for candidates and diplomates to bring up issues and questions for discussion. As explained by Dr. Mathews, the feedback received will be used by the Board of Governors, the Board of Trustees, and ABR volunteers and staff to improve and streamline the Initial and Continuing Certification programs.

In the Executive Director message, Brent Wagner explains modifications to the training verification form for teaching programs and program directors across the four disciplines certified by the ABR and describes the rationale for institutions being responsible for confirming satisfactory achievement in areas of practice beyond the scope of a standardized exam.

From the Board of Governors, Dr. Wagner discusses initiatives he and the ABR staff presented to the BOG during the winter Board meetings to address needed updates, improve transparency, and increase efficiency for processes that directly support our candidates and diplomates.

From the Board of Trustees, Chair Don Flemming summarizes the proceedings of the BOT at the February meeting and announces the selection of three new trustees.

In Focus on Disciplines, Reed Dunnick, Associate Executive Director for Diagnostic Radiology, explains the rules, which began in January, that give DR diplomates more options in configuring their practice profiles for Online Longitudinal Assessment (OLA). Similar updates are discussed by Jim Spies, Associate Executive Director for Interventional Radiology, for IR diplomates. Continuing the theme of OLA, Medical Physics Trustees Matt Podgorsak, Kalpana Kanal, and Bob Pooley, and Associate Executive Director for Medical Physics Geoff Ibbott give an extensive overview of what constitutes “walking around knowledge” for medical physics OLA questions. From Radiation Oncology, Trustee Brian Davis and Associate Executive Director for Radiation Oncology Paul Wallner discuss the structure, process, and administration of the Radiation Oncology Certifying Exam.

The New Perspectives column is authored by Dr. Toby Gordon, public member of the Board of Governors. Learn about her perspectives on the healthcare system and how quality oversight depends on the work done by professional nonprofit medical organizations, including the ABR.

In the ABR Staff Spotlight, Communications Manager Rodney Campbell interviews Managing Director Karyn Howard and Human Resources Manager Brooke Smith about the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has wrought on recruiting for and maintaining staff levels necessary to fulfill the ABR’s mission, and some of the solutions that have evolved over the past two years.

See the Continuing Certification Update section for a reminder to diplomates about the OLA annual progress requirement and the News section for information about the Medical Physics Part 1 Qualifying Exam annual delivery date moving to August 2023 after the January 2023 exam. As always, for the most up-to-date and breaking news, please visit the ABR website.

Thank you for reading this edition of The Beam. We welcome your feedback on past articles and suggestions for future ones. Please contact communications@theabr.org or write me at jaseibert@ucdavis.edu. See you again in June with another edition. For the time being, here’s to enjoying the change in seasons and warmer weather!

Regards,

Tony

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