Q&A With New ABR President Cheri L. Canon, MD
2024;17(5):2
A volunteer since 2010, Cheri L. Canon, MD, became ABR Board of Governors president in late September. Dr. Canon, who is president of the University of Alabama Health Services Foundation, chief physician executive of the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) Health System, and professor emerita of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Radiology, has served as ABR president-elect for the past two years.
She recently took time to answer a few questions about her new role.
What inspired you to get involved as an ABR volunteer?
My chair, Dr. Bob Stanley, was a strong believer in the value of the ABR and an important sponsor for my first ABR volunteer role as a proctor for the “written” exam (yes, Scantrons and No. 2 pencils). I then joined the DR item-writing committee and honed my question-writing skill set. Writing a valid multiple-choice question is unbelievably challenging!
I had always held a high regard for the board certification process, but it was not until I was actively engaged as a volunteer that I genuinely appreciated the breadth of the ABR’s activities and the passion of its volunteers and staff. The ABR’s unwavering mission is remarkable and inspiring.
How did your time serving on committees prepare you to join the Board of Governors?
Understanding the operations behind exam development allows for more informed discussions and decisions, particularly concerning resource allocation. The board is charged with strategic oversight and has a fiduciary responsibility, and with these conversations, I am able to draw upon my prior committee experience. As a bonus, serving in leadership roles for these committees was a great course in Leadership 101. It was a recurring exercise in change management and negotiation. It developed my appreciation of the value of different perspectives and diversity of thought.
At what point did you think you might be interested in the board president position?
I honestly do not remember. Although I have been involved with the ABR for over 20 years, it has been a blink of the eye. It is likely similar to other leadership roles. In the beginning, they seem daunting and out of reach. Once you spend time within an organization, gaining an understanding of its complexities and developing relationships, you are driven by a passion to be a part of something bigger. Then it happens. It is a very organic process.
How open has the Board of Governors been to making changes that answer stakeholder needs?
In my tenure with the ABR, I have witnessed an evolving approach to communication, including the important relationships with our stakeholders. I am proud of the steps we have taken, particularly as part of the pivot to the New Diagnostic Radiology Oral Exam, to assure broad input from all stakeholders. We should (and will) consistently strive to communicate better and actively solicit feedback. Diversity of thought is key to solving complicated problems.
An important part of the ABR’s mission is to ensure that physicians and physicists can safely treat patients. What are some activities you’ve seen the organization undertake to ensure that we meet that goal?
Most immediately, I think of the exam process to assure competency, and this is core to the ABR mission. Also, the Continuing Certification process. But there is an equally important component of safe patient care and professionalism, where we as physicians and medical physicists put the patient’s interests above our own. The public expects this of board certification.
What have you discovered about the president’s role in your time as president-elect?
That maybe I should reconsider accepting the challenge? Seriously, I have had the great benefit of following Dr. Bob Barr, the consummate radiologist and a leader whom all leaders should emulate. He has role-modeled a leadership approach that has been highly effective, even through some fairly contentious times. He diligently solicits input, carefully listens, and assures the board’s decisions align with the mission of the ABR. I have learned that the mission serves as our North Star, and the ABR’s primary service is to the public and our patients, while also serving our diplomates.
The great challenge for the ABR is balancing the ongoing assurance of candidate and diplomate assessment while ushering in new initiatives, such as the new DR oral exam. We must remain steadfast to the mission yet pivot as required. To be successful with these complexities, we need a board with foresight and diversity of thought coupled with the expertise of the trustees and the stellar execution abilities of the ABR staff, led by Dr. Brent Wagner. It makes for a great team.
What are the board’s biggest priorities as you become president?
We must conduct ongoing assessment of our processes, such as Initial and Continuing Certification. To do this successfully, we must actively solicit and respond to stakeholder input.
