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…
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…
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….
By Rodney Campbell, ABR Communications Manager October 2025;18(5):10 From the perspective of Dan Krauss, MD, candidates for board certification sometimes get the wrong impression when they’re preparing for ABR exams. Exams are nerve-wracking events but, Dr. Krauss said, volunteers want examinees to pass and have successful careers. The Initial Certification process is a barometer to…
By Rodney Campbell, ABR Communications Manager October 2025;18(5):9 If there were a job description used when the ABR seeks volunteers to write exam questions, it would include the disclaimer, “No prior experience required.” Jeffrey Cruz, MD, is an exception. Dr. Cruz, who writes vascular and interventional radiology questions for the Diagnostic Radiology Qualifying (Core) Exam,…
By Cheri L. Canon, MD, ABR President; Matthew B. Podgorsak, PhD, ABR Board of Trustees Chair; and Brent Wagner, MD, MBA, ABR Executive Director October 2025;18(5):2 To attain ABR certification, individuals who have completed rigorous prescribed training must demonstrate that they have the knowledge and skill to effectively and safely practice in the radiologic professions….
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.