Continuing Certification requires lifelong learning and a cognitive assessment of the knowledge of practicing physicians and physicists. The Online Longitudinal Assessment (OLA) instrument developed by the ABR is designed to test knowledge and provide learning. The explanations given after each item are the consensus of a committee of experts in the area being tested. As of…
Brent Wagner, MD, MBA, completed his first year as the ABR’s executive director in June. He recently took time to offer a few thoughts about his experience in the position so far. How unusual has it been having a largely remote workforce since your first day here? Much of the work we do at the…
By Vincent P. Mathews, MD, ABR President This past weekend, the ABR Board of Governors culminated months of partnership with stakeholders by approving a residency leave policy that allows residents with up to eight weeks (40 workdays) of time off per academic year to remain eligible for Initial Certification without an extension of training. The…
Brooke Burkins, MS, recently earned the Arnold P. Gold Foundation’s Gold Humanism Honor Society Award. This peer-nominated award is given to someone who is humanistic, compassionate, and an advocate for people facing diverse barriers in healthcare. Medical students, residents, and physician leaders are inducted into this honor society to serve as role models for the…
By Toni Marie Roth, MS If you had told me a few years ago that I would be writing a blog for the ABR regarding my upcoming AAPM presentation on “The Intersection of Race and LGBTQIA+,” I would not have known how to respond. As a proud Puerto Rican, culturally Jewish person who identifies as…
Being 6-foot-5 and towering over most other people is a dream for many Americans. For ABR Software Developer Casey Baker, it was a warning sign. Baker grew an unlikely four inches between ages 21 and 28. He also experienced chronic fatigue and decreased energy, prompting him to seek a medical opinion in January 2016. What…
First-time ABR examiners this spring only experienced in-person oral exams in Louisville or Tucson as candidates. Although their knowledge of the old process is limited, they see many advantages in using the remote format. We reached out to five new examiners to get their thoughts on the platform: Joseph Erinjeri, MD (interventional radiology); Sarah Milgrom,…
Eleven enthusiastic and knowledgeable medical professionals have joined our first interventional radiology/diagnostic radiology initial certification advisory committee. They bring unique perspectives and goals to their new volunteer positions. Virginia Commonwealth University Assistant Professor Christopher Bailey, DO, has been working as a Society for Interventional Radiology Early Career Section liaison to the ABR in discussions about remote computer-based…
Online Longitudinal Assessment (OLA) current cumulative scores are updated every Monday for diplomates who have answered at least 52 scorable questions. The current cumulative score can change, even for participants who haven’t recently answered questions. Most often, the reason for the change is that questions don’t count toward the current cumulative score until they have…
By Sanjeev Bhalla, MD Many years ago, my mentor, Stuart Sagel, told me that academic radiology was like running a relay race. As an attending, my job was to take the baton from one generation and pass it on to the next. For the past 20 years at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University in Saint Louis, I have…
By Jesse M. Conyers, MD The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Policy on Parental, Caregiver, and Family Leave represents a culture shift in medicine. According to the policy, “Starting in July 2021, all ABMS Member Boards with training programs of two or more years duration will allow for a minimum of six weeks away…
By Jacqueline Koomson, MD Medicine has always been an intimidating institution to me. Facing the daunting years of training, I feared I was inherently inadequate. I spent 22 years in school learning about organ systems, pathways and procedures, patient interactions – all things that would shape me as a doctor. As I immersed myself in…
The ABR is a not-for-profit organization and member of the American Board of Medical Specialties. Our mission is to certify that our diplomates demonstrate the requisite knowledge, skill, and understanding of their disciplines to the benefit of patients. Our vision is to positively impact the lives of all patients as the foremost trusted certifying body assuring the highest standards of specialty expertise and professionalism in the radiological sciences.