ABR Seeks Public Member for Board of Governors
By Cheri L. Canon, MD, ABR President, and John A. Kaufman, MD, MS, ABR President-elect
2024;17(5):4
The ABR is seeking qualified applicants for a volunteer public member position on its Board of Governors (BOG). The board’s mission is to certify that our diplomates demonstrate the requisite knowledge, skill, and understanding of their disciplines to the benefit of patients.
The ABR provides both Initial and Continuing Certification in diagnostic radiology, interventional radiology/diagnostic radiology, medical physics, and radiation oncology, and is one of the Member Boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Discussions among BOG members benefit from the varied backgrounds of individuals with diverse experience, including those in both academic and nonacademic practice settings alongside a public member from outside the profession. BOG members often bring experience from senior leadership roles in their institutions and/or national organizations. Although most members of the BOG are ABR diplomates, public members offer distinct perspectives because they are not radiologists, radiation oncologists, or medical physicists. Public members have the same voting privileges as other members of the board and, like all members, act in support of the mission.
Ideal candidates will have one or more of the following attributes: knowledge of health policy and regulation; service in complex organizations (including nonprofits); experience as faculty in graduate or postgraduate education; and experience with assessment and testing processes in adults. Interest or expertise in information technology, legal frameworks, innovation, quality improvement science, outcomes research, patient advocacy, or nonprofit governance would also be helpful. Nominees must be serious and independent thinkers. The ABR recognizes the value of diverse perspectives that might be offered by individuals of different races, ethnicities, and genders. A candidate for a position as a public member may not be a physician or a medical physicist.
The annual in-person meeting attendance requirement is 10 workdays (full-week meetings in early fall and late winter) and one weekend day (late spring). Videoconferences, 60-90 minutes in duration, are held six to eight times per year. Travel expenses are reimbursed, but volunteer board members are not compensated for their time. The initial term is two years. Interested candidates may submit a curriculum vitae or resume, along with a letter of interest of less than two pages, to cmoreno@theabr.org.
ABR Volunteers and Advisory Committee Members Represent the Interests of the Profession and the Patients We Serve
By Catheryn Yashar, MD, ABR Trustee, and David Laszakovits, MBA, ABR Communications Director
2024;17(5):9
To maintain ABR certification, radiation oncology diplomates with certificates issued after 1994 are required to participate in Continuing Certification (CC, formerly Maintenance of Certification [MOC]). Lifetime certificates are valid without participation in CC, although lifetime certificate holders are strongly encouraged to participate.
Continuing Certification is broken into four parts: Part 1: Professionalism and Professional Standing; Part 2: Lifelong Learning; Part 3: Assessment of Knowledge, Judgment, and Skills; and Part 4: Improvement in Medical Practice. Information about each part and FAQs about CC can be found on the ABR website.
The ABR’s Continuing Certification program is developed by practicing physicians and medical physicists through a volunteer committee structure. The ABR solicits volunteers for its committees who represent a diversity of practice types, gender, and geography. Anyone who meets the volunteer requirements can apply here.
To facilitate a continuous critical evaluation of the CC program from a participant’s perspective, the ABR has established a Continuing Certification Advisory Committee (CCAC) for each of the four disciplines that it certifies. The CCACs are charged with evaluating CC requirements and recommending modifications as necessary to maintain a program that is not only reasonable and relevant to diplomate practice but also sufficiently rigorous and credible to support the mission of the ABR.
Members of the Radiation Oncology (RO) CCAC are selected from nominations of various stakeholder organizations, such as the American Brachytherapy Society (ABS), the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO), the American College of Radiology (ACR), and the American Radium Society (ARS). The RO CCAC convenes semiannually to offer suggestions for improvement, including enhanced user friendliness to ensure the ABR maintains a program that is easy for diplomates to navigate. As an ABR Trustee, Dr. Yashar chairs the RO CCAC, which is made up of 21 practitioners.
Through the diverse group of practicing radiation oncologist volunteers and CCAC members, the ABR seeks to maintain trust with RO diplomates and to ensure that all voices are heard, feedback is taken seriously, and all practice types are represented. The ABR sustains a strong commitment to RO diplomates and the public to maintain quality healthcare. Participation in the CC program demonstrates that ABR diplomates are dedicated to continuous improvement, professional development, and quality patient care.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month Participants Address Disparities in Health Care
By Rodney Campbell, ABR Communications Manager
2023;17(5):13
Physicians across the country use Breast Cancer Awareness Month as an opportunity to encourage patients to undergo screenings that help save lives. Estimates state that more than 310,000 Americans will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.
Knowledge and access are power. An article in the RSNA’s RadioGraphics journal reported last year that despite having a 5.8% lower incidence of breast cancer, Black women have a 40.7% higher mortality rate than non-Hispanic white women.
“Through Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we are able to reach new audiences, including people from diverse backgrounds,” said Toma Omofoye, MD, an associate professor in the department of breast imaging at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. “While mammography screening and precision medicine have contributed to incredible improvements in breast cancer survival, disparities persist. The higher risk for certain racial and ethnic groups, such as Black women and Ashkenazi Jews, may be unknown to many women. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an opportunity to reach diverse communities to empower them.”
Along with several other duties, Pauline Germaine, DO, is an attending physician and vice chair of research and education in the department of radiology at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey. She said many of her institution’s programs aim to help people in inner-city Camden. Approximately 30 percent of the community’s residents live below the poverty line, a significant hurdle to accessing health care.
“We hold discussions and workshops on stress-busting techniques and creating healing practices to support women’s health and well-being,” Dr. Germaine said. “Community discussions center on the topics of breast health and breast density, screening examinations and genetics, genomics, and managing risk.”
Her hospital’s Cooper Foundation finishes Breast Cancer Awareness Month with its Pink and Teal event that brings physicians and patients together to celebrate their partnership in the fight against cancers.
“It embraces the power of hope and the strength of sisterhood in helping women on their cancer journey,” Dr. Germaine said. “Pink and Teal is a vibrant and uplifting event where patients and providers come together to connect, recharge, and celebrate. It’s a time to honor our patients and their remarkable successes on the journey through treatment and recovery.”
Amy K. Patel, MD, a breast radiologist and medical director of the breast care center at Liberty Hospital in the Kansas City area, grew up in a small community that was served mostly by male physicians. She’s helping further diversify the field as an associate professor of radiology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine and through activities with associations and societies.
“It’s wonderful to see that we are showing a commitment to diversity in our field, particularly through initiatives from the Society of Breast Imaging and American College of Radiology,” Dr. Patel said. “However, we still have a lot of work to do to see diverse representation in the specialty of radiology and subspecialty of breast imaging.”
Dr. Omofoye agrees that it’s vital for treatment teams to identify with the people they serve. Having more and diverse women pursuing breast imaging as a career has countless benefits.
“It has been shown that diversity in healthcare teams contributes to improved critical thinking and engagement, and is associated with increased patient satisfaction, improved access, and improved outcomes,” she said.
Improving access to care and having diverse treatment teams is all about saving lives. Dr. Patel sees brighter days ahead.
“In the Kansas City Metro, we have a Breast Health Equity Task Force, where our goal is to reduce deaths in Black and Hispanic women, many of whom are underserved,” she said. “With coalition building, awareness, and boots on the ground advocacy, we can improve this state of breast cancer affairs for our most vulnerable populations.”
