A quick glance at the CV of Stephanie Leon, PhD, proves that she enjoys being an ABR volunteer.

Dr. Leon is part of the Medical Physics (MP) Continuing Certification Advisory Committee, serves as chair of the Online Longitudinal Assessment (OLA) committee for diagnostic medical physics, and is an oral examiner. ABR exams and OLA are improved by Dr. Leon’s knowledge, and she benefits from her time commitment.

“It’s an opportunity to network with physicists from across the country and to collaborate and see how their practices differ,” she said. “There are usually not very many physicists at a given institution, so it’s easy to get into a silo about the way things are done. Communicating with people is really valuable for me personally, to see how things are different and see the information about the modalities I don’t work in all the time.”

A clinical associate professor and assistant director of the diagnostic imaging medical physics residency program at the University of Florida, Dr. Leon sees board certification from both sides. As an oral examiner, her audience includes candidates in Initial Certification. Her advisory committee and OLA work involve diplomates participating in Continuing Certification.

Her Initial Certification duties match her work life, where she instructs graduate students and residents. Serving as an oral examiner gives her a chance to see how knowledgeable trainees must be to earn certification.

“I appreciate the sheer amount of stuff they need to study and know for Initial Certification,” she said.

Dr. Leon has been part of the MP OLA question writing committee since its inception. She finds the continuous learning component far preferable to the old days of taking an exam every 10 years.

“OLA is a huge improvement,” she said. “It’s accomplishing its intention, which is to make sure you’re keeping your knowledge up to date continually and not just doing this huge study session for an exam, after which you forget it all.”

ABR Trustee Kalpana M. Kanal, PhD, is a member of the same committees as Dr. Leon. She admires her colleague’s spirit of volunteerism and appreciates the enthusiasm she brings to the duties.

“Dr. Leon is an outstanding volunteer whose dedication and leadership shine through in every role she takes on,” Dr. Kanal said. “She consistently brings energy, insight, and a collaborative spirit that strengthens each team. Her commitment to service and ability to juggle multiple responsibilities make her an invaluable volunteer for the ABR.”

Being part of so many committees might seem like a challenge, but Dr. Leon said the work is spread over much of the year and she never feels overwhelmed.

“It’s not as bad as it probably sounds,” she said. “The OLA committee is certainly the biggest time commitment, but even that is sort of seasonal.”

Dr. Leon earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD from the University of Florida. Aside from six years at the University of Texas McGovern Medical School in Houston, she has spent her adult life in Gainesville.

That’s about to change. In July, she’ll become chief of diagnostic medical physics at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. The new position will give her a chance to establish an MP residency program.

“The former chief who’s retiring and I are acquaintances,” she said. “He reached out to ask if I might be interested in the position. I talked to people, went up there, interviewed, and really liked it. So, I figured I’d take the jump.”

Moving to a small community fits Dr. Leon’s lifestyle. The Gainesville metropolitan area, home of the University of Florida, has approximately 359,000 residents. The Upper Valley region of New Hampshire and Vermont, where Dartmouth is located, has about 221,000 people.

“It’s beautiful up there,” she said.

The weather is going to be an adjustment. The Upper Valley gets an average of 70 inches of snow each year. Gainesville, on the other hand, can be the target of hurricanes and tropical storms in the summer and fall. Dr. Leon’s interview process with Dartmouth started not long after a third tropical system of the year impacted the Gainesville area.

“The winters are going to be a learning process,” she said. “I’ve never lived in the snow before. I’m going to need a new wardrobe, but the summers are going to be lovely.”

As an interventional radiologist who teaches and performs clinical work, Divya Kumari, MD, keenly understands her role as an ABR volunteer who writes Qualifying (Core) Exam questions.

It’s a balancing act.

“I have a good idea of what (candidates) should know, particularly diagnostic residents,” she said. “We’re writing questions that they have to be able to answer. Often when I’m working, I’m also paying attention to the scope of what they understand to make sure what we’re writing isn’t too difficult and it’s not intended toward fellowship level for IR.” 

Dr. Kumari, an assistant professor of radiology at UChicago Medicine, is in her second year of writing questions for the Core. She earned her medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine, performed her residency at Case Western Reserve College of Medicine and completed a vascular and interventional radiology fellowship at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

She works with residents and fellows all day, none of whom know that she’s an ABR volunteer.

“I’m teaching all the time … truly, 100 percent,” she said.

Dr. Kumari estimates that she dedicates as much as 15% of her workload to diagnostic radiology. She enjoys the procedural side of interventional radiology, but said she’ll never let go of her love of imaging. 

“It’s important for me to maintain my diagnostic skills. I genuinely enjoy that aspect of radiology,” she said. “There’s a unique sense of fulfillment in identifying a critical finding on a patient in the ER or ICU and being able to immediately call the physician with an answer. That can be just as rewarding as performing a procedure. I strive to keep a balance between both diagnostic and interventional work.” 

She’s also contributing as an ABR volunteer. As is the case with everyone who creates exam content, Dr. Kumari went through a breaking-in period before she felt comfortable. 

The puzzle pieces came together when her committee met in Chicago to assemble the exam. Going through the final round of question vetting and discussing potential issues with fellow subject matter experts enabled her to fully understand the process. 

“Sitting down for two days straight and going through all the questions, and all the different ways of asking the same topic, really nailed it down,” Dr. Kumari said. “I felt a lot more comfortable after that.”

Two long days of question reviewing and other work to finalize the exam is challenging. Dr. Kumari likened the experience to when she took initial certification exams as a candidate. 

It reminded me of what it was like to be on the other side, taking those long exams,” she said. “It’s definitely a marathon, but a much more enjoyable one. I really appreciated getting to meet the other volunteers in person. Our team had a great time overall. It’s a fun group, and I genuinely enjoyed the whole process

Brian Funaki, MD, encouraged Dr. Kumari to volunteer for the ABR. Dr. Funaki has written exam questions and served as an oral examiner.

“She is a young, bright interventional radiologist who has a strong interest in education and teaching,” he said. “In a male-dominated field, we need more talented women like her to serve as mentors and role models for the next generation of interventional radiologists.”

As a question writer, Dr. Kumari has seen a few myths shattered. When she was a candidate, she worried that questions were included to intentionally mislead examinees. After sitting through extensive reviews with her group, she has seen questions tossed because volunteers didn’t find them suitable. 

“Knowing the questions weren’t designed to trick you would’ve made me a lot less anxious going into the exam,” she said.

Volunteer duties are never far from her mind. She finds that working at a hospital that serves a diverse population provides real-world scenarios that are appropriate for examinees. 

“We did a case this morning, and as soon as I saw the images, I thought, ‘This would make a great board question,’” she said. “I really appreciate the wide spectrum of cases we see here. It gives me a lot of material to work with.”

Spending time with colleagues away from meeting rooms is a nice bonus for volunteers. Discussing their professional and personal lives during breaks builds connections and camaraderie, enabling the team to work well together.

“We have lunches and dinners where we really get to know each other and understand each other’s perspectives,” she said. “That’s been one of the most rewarding parts of volunteering with the ABR.”

After living in every corner of the country while growing up, studying and training to become a medical physicist, and starting her career, Samantha Simiele, PhD, feels at home again.  

Her job in Northern Alabama is a long way from her Eastern Washington roots. But, for the past year and a half, she’s enjoyed the opportunity to work with her brother and sister-in-law at the University of Alabama at Birmingham as an assistant professor and chief of Brachytherapy.

It’s the next best thing to being home. She and her brother, Eric, even have offices next to each other. 

“I’ll stop by and say, ‘Hey, are you going out for lunch today?’” Samantha said. 

Eric started at UAB in December 2022 and Samatha joined the faculty in October 2023. Eric’s wife, Natalie Viscariello, PhD, is an assistant professor and associate director of the UAB Medical Physics Residency Program.  

“It feels like home in a lot of ways,” Eric said. “Working with my wife and sister adds this layer of comfort and support that you don’t typically get in a workplace. We know how to communicate well with each other, and there’s a sense of built-in trust that makes everything smoother.”  

Working at UAB is a reunion for the three medical physicists. They completed their graduate work at the University of Wisconsin. Although they didn’t realize it, the Simiele siblings also were training to become co-workers, however unlikely that seemed.  

“I didn’t think I’d have another chance to work with him,” said Samantha, who’s a member of the ABR Medical Physics Initial Certification Advisory Committee. “But when this opportunity opened, it was hard to turn down. We just stepped right back into the groove. The only thing people may notice is that we have inside jokes. Otherwise, I don’t think people working with us would know we were related.”  

Samantha’s career choice was rooted in family experience. She was raised in Richland, Washington, a location integral to the Manhattan Project. Her mother specialized in radioactive waste management and her father practiced as a health physicist and nuclear engineer. Their experiences impacted their children.  

“Our parents’ careers certainly contributed to Eric and I pursuing degrees in health physics,” Samantha said. “I was introduced to the concept of brachytherapy as a graduate student. My advisor is prominent in the brachytherapy community and my graduate research was in brachytherapy. When I transitioned to residency, my research mentor was also a brachytherapy physicist. They passed along their passion for the treatment modality.”  

Samantha said that having family in the same location makes logistics much easier for her mother, who still lives in Washington. Her mom is thrilled to have her children together. 

“It makes family gatherings easier,” she said. “It’s just one trip to see us.”  

The reunion has been positive for everyone. UAB benefits and the Simieles have the chance to work side by side, keeping their family ties strong.  

“I was genuinely thrilled when I found out Sam was joining UAB,” Eric said. “I’ve always admired her work ethic and talent, so knowing we’d be working at the same place felt like a dream. It’s not something you expect, but it’s been such a rewarding and fun experience having her here.”