News
Discover inspiring stories from our volunteers, candidates, and community, and stay up to date with important news and announcements on exams, policies, and more.
New Pediatrics Alternate Pathway Quickly Gaining Interest
By Sherwin Chan, MD ABR Pediatric Radiology Trustee Based on input and support from the Society for Pediatric Radiology, the ABR created a 15-Month Pediatric Radiology Alternate Pathway earlier this year that allows diagnostic radiology (DR) residents to be eligible for subspecialty certification in pediatric radiology. The goal is to offer a flexible alternative to the existing options of…
ABR Volunteer Proud to Serve Veterans as Neuroradiologist
With family military service connections that include her grandfather and her husband, Katie Bailey, MD, feels at home working for a VA hospital. Dr. Bailey has been a neuroradiologist at James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa for 15 years. Her grandfather — who died at the hospital in 1987 — served in the Army…
Teenage Dream Brought Her to U.S. for Career in Medicine
When she started medical school in her native Brazil, Isabel Cortopassi, MD, stood out. She was 16 years old. Brazil allows students to start medical school as soon as they graduate high school. After getting moved ahead in elementary school, Dr. Cortopassi had a jump on most classmates. “There was another person in my med-school…
She’s Opening the Vault to Radiology Education
The diagnostic radiology residency program director at the University of Michigan Medical School, Kara Udager, MD, is passionate about education. That commitment was the inspiration for her involvement with The Radiology Vault, a YouTube account that she and colleagues from the department’s education team established two years ago to help residents and medical school students….
Breast Imager Often Acts in Supporting Role
There are times when Brandi Nicholson, MD, is content sitting in a dark reading room, listening to background music over a cup of coffee as she studies patient images. But that’s only part of her job as a breast imager. She also is responsible for delivering imaging and biopsy results to patients. That news is…
New Medical Physics Trustee Brings History of Service to Role
By Kalpana Kanal, PhD; Jennifer Stickel, PhD; Matthew Podgorsak, PhD; and Geoffrey Ibbott, PhD The ABR has three medical physics trustees who specialize in diagnostic medical physics (DMP), nuclear medical physics (NMP), and therapeutic medical physics (TMP), respectively. This fall, the ABR welcomed Sameer Tipnis, PhD, who has replaced Kalpana Kanal, PhD, as the DMP…
Future Resident Rotates Toward Interventional Radiology
By the time she reached the eighth grade, Lauren Hui, MS, knew she wanted to be a physician. She was even certain about the specialty. When her class was assigned to give presentations about what they wanted to do in 20 years, Lauren was specific: she was going to be a neurosurgeon. She found their…
He’s Proud to Serve His Country and Profession
As a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force, Justin Peacock, MD, lives a life of service. He brings that commitment to his duties as an ABR volunteer. Dr. Peacock, who writes questions for the Diagnostic Radiology (DR) Certifying Exam and DR Nuclear Radiology Subspecialty Exam, was developing content in his work life to…
She’ll Miss Her ‘ABR Family’ When Trustee Tenure Ends
By the time Kalpana Kanal, PhD, rotates off herABR Trustee duties in October, she will have started board appointments with the American Association for Physicists in Medicine and the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs. However, she says that the work will not fill the gap created by the end of her days…
Trustee Appreciates Value of New Volunteers Assuming ABR Roles
When asked what he thinks of rotating off his ABR Trustee spot after two terms and eight years this October, Brian Davis, MD, PhD, turned to the world of music and movies for a reply. “Well, what is the song? ‘Breaking Up Is Hard to Do.’ That’s one,” he said. “Then there’s the line from…
ABR Announces Its Three ABMS Scholars
The ABR is sponsoring three American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Scholars in this year’s cohort. The Scholars, each of whom will receive a $15,000 grant from the ABR, are: Abdullah Alshreef, PhD, MS, MSc, a medical physics resident at Loma Linda University Medical Center. His research project is titled: “Enhancing Clinical Readiness and Board…
Volunteer Enjoyed First-Hand View of ABR’s Pivot to Remote Exams
One of the effects of the pandemic for ABR candidates was the temporary limbo they faced in pursuing board certification. There were several months when exam centers were closed for in-person gatherings or greatly restricted because of COVID’s rapid and deadly spread. Kristen McConnell, PhD, was one of those candidates. On track to earn her…
ABR Trustee Selected as ASTRO President-elect
ABR Trustee Catheryn Yashar, MD, was voted president-elect by the membership of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) in July. She will begin her term during the organization’s annual meeting next month and will become president in September 2026. Dr. Yashar is a professor of radiation medicine and applied sciences at the University of…
After Two Decades as Volunteer, He Knows Good Exam Questions Take Time
Marc Mendonca, PhD, learned a lot in his more than 20 years as an ABR volunteer. One of his biggest takeaways was that even the best physicians, biologists, and physicists require time to learn how to create relevant exam questions. Even longtime question writers can occasionally struggle. “I love the fact that these are some…
Trustee: ABR Volunteer Roles Made Me a Better Physician
After almost two decades as an ABR volunteer, Trustee Chrisopher Wood, MD, said that one of the more satisfying aspects of his role is the positive feedback he receives from other ABR volunteers. It happened most recently at the American Society for Neuroradiology annual meeting in Philadelphia this past May. A current volunteer approached him…