Remote Exam Security Ensures Fair Representation of Candidates’ Knowledge
By Brent Wagner, MD, MBA, ABR Executive Director
2025;18(1):3
When the ABR began offering remote exams in 2021, their development and implementation were based on the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But there are several practical advantages of remote exams for our candidates and diplomates; most importantly, enabling them to avoid the expense and inconvenience of traveling to an exam center. We remain committed to offering remote exams indefinitely, but we acknowledge that it comes with an imperative to require a secure local testing environment for examinees.
We believe our candidates for certification are very comfortable with technology in general; however, the model for our computer-based exams is unavoidably novel because it requires the user to comply with unfamiliar elements that contribute to a secure environment. The process includes setting up an appropriately positioned side-view camera, demonstrating that the workspace is free of study or reference materials, and pausing the software during a break in a way that does not tempt the examinee to return to alter answers to previously viewed content.
We recognize that candidates are highly ethical and motivated to succeed based on their knowledge and skill in the field. While they are logged in to the exam, we provide guidance and reminders of the requirements to support successful completion of the process. In our experience of over 22,000 individual exams, we have had to invalidate only a very small number because of an examinee’s failure to comply with security requirements. An extremely small subset of examinees has faced disciplinary action and been excluded from future exam opportunities.
We will continue to refine our process, and we sincerely believe that we have a responsibility and an opportunity to support our candidates’ progress to certification. We hope to continue to provide a credible and secure individual exam environment that allows them to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the domain acquired through extensive study and training.
Attending In-Person Society Meetings Creates Better Connections with Stakeholders
By Cheri L. Canon, MD, ABR President; Kinsey SmithWright, ABR Administrative and Exam Support Manager; and David Laszakovits, MBA, ABR Communications Director
2025;18(1):2
The ABR has expanded communications with our candidates and diplomates over recent years, including blogs, The Beam (e-newsletter), and expanded content on our website. Our Board of Governors has emphasized the need for increased clarity and transparency of the information we share.
One of the less obvious communication channels is our frequent presence at major professional society meetings. Representatives from ABR Certification Services or Administration are available at a table or booth in the exhibit space at meetings of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR), American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS), Association of Academic Radiology (AAR), American Society of Neuroradiology (ASNR), and several American College of Radiology (ACR) chapters. Engaging in dialogue with accomplished leaders in the field, trainees from a wide range of residency programs, and practitioners from diverse communities allows us to answer questions about ABR programs and policies and to identify opportunities for improving our standard communications.
Many of the in-person conversations concern elements of the Continuing Certification program (formerly MOC). Online Longitudinal Assessment (OLA) receives not only high praise but also frequent suggestions for enhancements; we are very happy to listen to both. We see ourselves as partners with candidates and diplomates in the certification process and sincerely equate the success of those individuals with our success. Feedback regarding exams and OLA comes back to our Exam Services staff and volunteer subject matter experts, where it represents an invaluable resource to guide further refinements.
Increasingly, we hear questions about our International Medical Graduate (IMG) Alternate Pathways.1 These pathways help alleviate the severe shortages of medical physicists and physicians that contribute to challenges in maintaining access to care for rural communities and other underserved populations. Well-trained and highly skilled professionals from around the world are invited to pursue certification through an IMG pathway. The process involves steps that can be overwhelming, and ABR staff at meetings are able to answer specific questions and refer potential applicants to the correct resources.
During these in-person and informal exchanges at professional society meetings, many diplomates and candidates take the opportunity to express appreciation for what the ABR staff does and to offer respectful and candid suggestions as well as criticisms. We welcome the conversations and partnerships, which we believe enhance the profession and support the ABR’s mission.
1Click on one the following links for more information about the IMG Pathway: diagnostic radiology, interventional radiology, medical physics, or radiation oncology.
Change of Plans Sends Aspiring Resident Down VIR Path
By Rodney Campbell, ABR Communications Manager
2025;18(1):10
When he started at Rush Medical College in Chicago, Armaan Mazra, MS, had a goal: In 2025, he would be matching into a surgical residency, possibly orthopedic surgery.
“I joined almost every surgical Interest group I could because I didn’t have a lot of perspective on medicine, family members in medicine, or general exposure,” he said. “I went pretty gung-ho about it.”
Once he started scrubbing in to assist orthopedic surgery procedures in his second year, his interests started to shift. He wasn’t enjoying the process.
“I was pretty open to change into a specialty that better aligned with my interests and values,” he said.
By his third year, he had found his new direction: vascular and interventional radiology. It was a field that he knew little about until his mother needed a VIR procedure.
The experience sent him down a different career path.
“I saw from the patient’s perspective how VIR can offer procedures to people who may not be candidates for surgery,” Armaan said. “I was moved by the hope that it offered.”
Armaan started changing course in his medical studies, leaving orthopedic surgery behind. He soon realized that he was making the right move.
“I decided to take a VIR elective and gained exposure to the types of procedures that were available,” he said. “I found it pretty amazing, and I was inspired by all of the work that was being done and innovative procedures that were being developed every year.”
He developed an interest in medicine as an undergraduate. When Armaan was an undergraduate student at UC Santa Cruz, his father suffered medical issues prohibiting him from driving for a while. Armaan started taking his dad to appointments at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center, where he met internal medicine specialist and nephrologist, Kamyar Kamjoo, MD, who offered a chance for the college student to shadow him and serve as a scribe.
It was a big change for Armaan, who had many interests, including cooking, as a high school and college student.
“He was really inspiring,” Armaan said. “His passion for patient care helped persuade me to go into medicine.”
With his interest in medicine coming relatively late in his undergrad days, Armaan believed that he needed more experience to become better prepared to pursue a medical degree. After graduating from UC Santa Cruz, he attended the Boston University School of Medicine, where he earned a master’s in medical sciences in 2021.
He took physiology, histology, and pathology courses and performed research at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, all important steps toward becoming a qualified medical student.
“I wanted to finish my prerequisites and make myself a strong candidate to go to a medical school that aligned with my passion for service,” Armaan said. “The East Coast provided me with that opportunity, and it gave me the chance to do clinical and translational research, which I hadn’t done as an undergraduate.”
Rush was his medical school choice because he wanted to pick a place that emphasized community service at its core. During his time there, he created an organization, RUSwabbed, an extension of the Gift of Life Marrow Registry.
“RUSwabbed helps patients with diverse ethnic backgrounds obtain bone marrow transplants because there’s a significant disparity in access,” he said. “I realized that this was a big disparity as I was creating this organization. I wanted to diminish the disparity because it’s affected my cultural background and something that I saw was an issue.”
Armaan’s past few months have been a whirlwind of applications and interviews, all in hope of landing a residency spot. He did three away rotations in the late fall to gain exposure to VIR and learn how it’s practiced at different institutions. Those visits concluded just as he was starting his interview cycle.
“The process can be stressful, but it’s also rewarding in a lot of ways,” Armaan said. “I’ve applied to programs that I thought were a good fit for me and were going to provide the type of training that I was interested in.”
Armaan has applied to programs across the country. His time in California, Boston, and Chicago broadened his horizons for an acceptable training location.
With the process winding down, he could see himself happy training at any of several programs.
“I’ve noticed that my rank list changes after each interview to some degree based off components that I found rewarding about the program,” he said. “Throughout this interview trail, I’ve tried to keep an open mind.”
Wherever he lands for residency, Armaan is motivated for what’s ahead.
“It’s exciting,” he said. “I’m preparing for a whole new journey in my life.
