Ongoing Evolution of Certification Instruments Leads to New DR Oral Exam
By Desiree E. Morgan, MD, ABR Governor
2025;18(1):1
It is remarkable to me that over 12 million questions have been answered by ABR diplomates in the five years that Online Longitudinal Assessment (OLA) for Continuing Certification has been employed. The major upheaval in operations and infrastructure that the OLA program demanded of the ABR is mirrored in the activity that is going on now behind the scenes to bring on the New Diagnostic Radiology Oral Exam. Scheduled to begin in 2028, it will be remotely administered like the certifying exams of the three other ABR disciplines, and its resurgence in a new form is a testament to the ongoing evolution of certification instruments as our disciplines and practices evolve. I hope you enjoy reading different perspectives pertaining to the new DR Oral Exam — from the priorities of our newest members of the Board of Governors to the inspiration and impact on our volunteers, the oral certifying exam process is at the forefront of the minds of many.
In this issue …
ABR President Cheri L. Canon, MD, Administrative and Exam Support Manager Kinsey SmithWright, and Communications Director David Laszakovits, MBA, discuss the benefits of ABR representatives attending major professional society meetings to connect in person with stakeholders.
ABR Executive Director Brent Wagner, MD, MBA, describes how remote exam security guarantees a fair assessment of examinees’ knowledge and skills.
A few months after joining the ABR Board of Governors, James C. Anderson, MD, Stephen F. Simoneaux, MD, and Karen Ragland Cole, MD, share thoughts on their new volunteer roles.
As the ABR prepares for the return of the Diagnostic Radiology Oral Exam in 2028, ABR Board of Trustees Chair Matthew B. Podgorsak, PhD, and Executive Director Brent Wagner, MD, MBA, explain the value of the oral exam format for testing candidates’ application of knowledge, analysis, and evaluation.
ABR Trustee Kate Maturen, MD, talks about her early days as an ABR volunteer and the mentors who encouraged her along the way to her current role as vice chair for diagnostic radiology.
ABR President-elect John A. Kaufman, MD, MS; Associate Executive Director for Interventional Radiology James B. Spies, MD, MPH; and Executive Director Brent Wagner, MD, MBA, explain the process by which the ABR has opened channels for stakeholders to comment on whether the current certification process for interventional radiologists is equivalent to diagnostic radiology certification.
ABR Trustee Kalpana M. Kanal, PhD, explains the roles and functions of ABR volunteer item-writing committees, with a focus on the Diagnostic Medical Physics Part 2 Qualifying Exam Committee.
ABR Associate Executive Director for Radiation Oncology Michael Yunes, MD, announces a pilot mentorship and training program to be held this spring in Dallas for RO oral examiners.
While he was studying to be a surgeon, a personal experience with a vascular and interventional radiology procedure led medical student Armaan Mazra, MS, to change his plans and pursue a career in radiology instead.
A combination of academic and clinical work makes ABR volunteer Brian Holly, MD, a perfect fit for the IR/DR Qualifying (Core) Exam item-writing committee.
For Katherine Tzou, MD, an ABR volunteer since 2017, writing items for the Radiation Oncology Qualifying Exam and serving as an oral examiner allows her to give back to the profession and learn from her colleagues, which in turn makes her a better physician.
We remember former ABR President Lee F. Rogers, MD, a distinguished musculoskeletal radiologist and educator who was instrumental in the adoption of ABR subspecialty certification in pediatric radiology, neuroradiology, and vascular and interventional radiology in the early 1990s.
Congratulations to ABR Trustee Anne M. Covey, MD, who has been elected as the RSNA Board Liaison for Public Information and Professionalism, and to ABR Trustee Kalpana Kanal, PhD, who recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Upstate New York Chapter of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine.