By Eric Russell, MD, ABR Volunteer December 2023;16(6):10 A longtime ABR trustee and committee member and my dearest friend, Robert D. Zimmerman, MD, passed away after a prolonged illness, in the presence of his beloved wife Ellen and his two children, Max and Molly, on October 5. A magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate…
By Rodney Campbell, ABR Communications Manager December 2023;16(6):9 Patrick Byrne, PhD, has a unique way of thinking about his ABR volunteer work. “If I spend a couple of weekends a year traveling to Tucson or Chicago or doing some committee work, I don’t feel too bad about it,” he said. “I approach it like a…
By Mallory Carson Glenn, PhD, DABR®, MOM* December 2023;16(6):8 Several years of graduate study, two years of residency, and three board exams. These are the hurdles we medical physicists must overcome to earn the title of DABR, our proof of clinical competency and ability to provide quality in patient care. Many would say that the…
By Michael Yunes, MD, ABR Associate Executive Director for Radiation Oncology December 2023;16(6):7 For the past several years, our radiation oncology colleagues have been discussing challenges facing the clinical workforce. In addition to the discussion surrounding physician supply, these conversations have focused on the real or perceived undersupply of clinical physicists and dosimetrists available for…
By Desiree E. Morgan, MD, ABR Governor December 2023;16(6):6 Earlier this year, the ABR announced that beginning in 2028 and first applying to DR residents completing training in June 2027 (entering their R1 year in July 2023), the certifying exam for DR will be the new DR Oral Exam. Many of you have expressed interest…
By Kalpana M. Kanal, PhD, and Stephen F. Simoneaux, MD, ABR Trustees; Matthew B. Podgorsak, PhD, ABR Board of Trustees Chair; Mary S. Newell, MD, ABR Associate Executive Director for Diagnostic Radiology; and Geoffrey S. Ibbott, PhD, ABR Associate Executive Director for Medical Physics December 2023;16(6):5 The ABR is in the process of soliciting three…
By Robert M. Barr, MD, ABR President December 2023;16(6):2 In January, we will be implementing improved design elements and functionality to the ABR web portal, myABR. Our goal with these enhancements is to provide a more intuitive and personalized Continuing Certification* experience. What’s New in myABR? Each diplomate will have a dashboard customized for their…
By Kinsey SmithWright, ABR Administrative and Exam Support Manager, and Brent Wagner, MD, MBA, ABR Executive Director December 2023;16(6):3 The ABR stewarded 11,853 (computer-based) and 2,440 (oral) candidates through 52 exam administrations from when our exams went fully remote in early 2021 through the end of 2022. To say we have learned a lot understates…
By Robert M. Barr, MD, ABR President; Cheri L. Canon, MD, ABR President-elect; and Matthew B. Podgorsak, PhD, ABR Board of Trustees Chair December 2023;16(6):4 The ABR Board of Governors (BOG) and Board of Trustees (BOT) met for several days in early October and engaged in highly productive discussions on a broad range of topics….
Last month, Rayna Howse, MD, MBA, reached a career milestone: She passed the Interventional Radiology Oral Certifying Exam and became board certified by the ABR. She recently provided feedback to help future candidates succeed on the exam. How did you feel going into the exam and how did you prepare? I was nervous, but I…
Like many of his fellow Visiting Scholars, Francis Deng, MD, didn’t know much about the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) when he applied for the program. “I knew that the ABMS existed and that it comprised a number of Member Boards,” Dr. Deng said. “I knew that from my time as a (National Resident…
Thanksgiving is here and we all have many reasons to be grateful for things in our professional lives. We asked a few candidates and stakeholders for their thoughts this month, as we did with residents last year, and here’s what they had to say. Puneet Bhargava, MD University of Washington Professor of Radiology and…
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.