Two ABR Representatives Join ABMS Committees
By Mimi Newell, MD
ABR Associate Executive Director, Diagnostic Radiology
Each year, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Governance Committee seeks nominations for open positions from among its Member Boards, of which the ABR is one. We are proud to announce that this cycle, two of our diplomates have been chosen for impactful positions.
Robert M. Barr, MD, FACR, has been selected to serve on the ABMS Governance Committee. The committee is responsible for overseeing all governance functions within the ABMS, including nominating candidates to be elected by the board of directors, developing policies related to nominations and governance, and overseeing the ABMS bylaws review process, as well as governance education and assessment for the board of directors and committees. Dr. Barr is well suited for this committee. He is the immediate past president of the ABR Board of Governors. He is also a member of the board of directors of his professional group (as well as a long-serving past president); past chair of the board of trustees of Novant Medical Group; past president of the American Society of Neuroradiology; and former chair of the American College of Radiology Economics Committee on Neuroradiology. He has chaired several task forces and committees in each of these organizations.
Dr. Barr’s skill set aligns optimally with Governance Committee duties. He is extremely well versed in board and committee constitution, governance, and functionality. Colleagues at the ABR note that he not only sees the big picture but also has amazing peripheral vision that allows him to readily identify potential hazards and conflicts. He enriches every debate and strategic discussion with wisdom borne of experience as well as instinct. As ABR president, Dr. Barr oversaw a major bylaws revision, resulting in a modernized, cogent, and logical document.
“I look forward to serving on the Governance Committee of the American Board of Medical Specialties and contributing to its patient-focused mission,” Dr. Barr said. “My service with the American Board of Radiology has been among the most meaningful experiences of my career. I am excited to collaborate with colleagues across medicine to promote thoughtful physician governance in support of high-quality patient care and professionalism.”
James C. Anderson, MD, has been selected to the ABMS Committee on Certification (COCERT), which has “oversight of and is responsible for developing, proposing, revising, and enforcing ABMS’s standards, policies, and programs related to initial certification, subspecialty certification, and the focused practice designation.” Dr. Anderson is a natural choice for this appointment, having extensive experience in graduate medical education and residency training at a national, regional, and institutional level. He has been heavily involved with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), most notably having served as chair of its Residency Review Committee for Diagnostic Radiology from 2014 to 2019, the Milestones Writing Subcommittee for Neuroradiology, and the Hospital Based Committee of Review Committee Chairs, as well as two additional ACGME committees. He is deeply engaged in other national GME initiatives, including through the Association of Program Directors in Radiology, currently as its immediate past president.
Dr. Anderson’s additional service through the Association of University Radiologists, on the executive committee of the Organization of Program Director Associations, with ACGME-I, and with the Oregon Graduate Medical Education Consortium further confirms his vast knowledge of GME. He has served in residency and fellowship directorship roles over the course of 22 years and has been assistant dean for graduate medical education at Oregon Health & Science University since 2017, overseeing both the statewide GME and strategic alignment & integration portfolios. Dr. Anderson is also vice chair of education in the department of diagnostic radiology and serves on multiple education-focused committees, including the Clinical Competency and Education Oversight committees.
“I am really excited to serve on the ABMS COCERT,” Dr. Anderson said. “Having been involved in the development of the program requirements for the new specialty of interventional radiology at the ACGME while I was the chair of the Radiology Review Committee, I got to know the intricacies of accreditation standards and the impact they have on programs, as well as the various organizations that are accreditation adjacent. I look forward both to contributing to the committee and to learning more about the process at the ABMS for creating new specialty or subspecialty certificates and to reviewing proposals and policies related to ABMS standards.”
The ABR appreciates Drs. Barr and Anderson for representing our Board on such consequential ABMS committees.
