#ABO

Apr 28, 2018
1 min

Clinician Well-Being Resources

As a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties community, ABO diplomates can access a new selection of physician well-being resources through the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). The Clinician Well-Being Knowledge Hub provides clinicians and health system leaders with valuable resources to combat clinician burnout in their professional and personal lives. According to research, burnout is nearly twice as prevalent among physicians as compared to US workers

Apr 27, 2018
2 min

Retiring? Changing Careers? There’s a Certification Status for That

If you’re considering retirement or your daily responsibilities have shifted away from direct patient care, there’s no reason to give up your hard-earned American Board of Ophthalmology certification. Consider the following options: No Longer Practicing Clinical Ophthalmology Diplomates employed in research, administration, or academia, who no longer engage in direct ophthalmic patient care, may designate themselves as Clinically Inactive. The Clinically Inactive Status optio

Jan 4, 2018
1 min

ABO Participates in ACGME Review Committee for Ophthalmology

Members of American Board of Ophthalmology leadership participated in the ACGME Review Committee for Ophthalmology held January 4-5, 2018. ACGME Review Committees meet twice annually to conduct accreditation review and discuss other matters pertaining to education in the specialty. Pictured from left to right: Kathleen Quinn-Leering, Ph.D., ACGME Executive Director for Ophthalmology Review Committee (RC) Jenny Campbell, M.A., Associate Executive Director for Ophthalmology RC

Jan 3, 2018
1 min

New SACME Option: 2018 American Glaucoma Society Annual Meeting

The American Board of Ophthalmology will recognize attendance at the 2018 American Glaucoma Society Annual Meeting for up to 8 credits of Self-Assessment CME. The Annual Meeting will be held March 1-4, 2018 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square, New York, NY. What is Self-Assessment CME? Self-Assessment CME, known as "SACME," promotes active learning. Activities that qualify for self-assessment involve question and answer exercises designed to evaluate the participant's unders

Dec 7, 2017
1 min

VIDEO: ABO CEO Chats with Young Ophthalmologists

At the 2017 American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting in New Orleans, American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) CEO George B. Bartley, M.D., sat down with Janice C. Law, M.D., to discuss the importance of being certified by the ABO as well as recent changes to the the Maintenance of Certification program. Watch the video below. #abo #abocertification #collaboration #codesign #competencies #certification

Dec 7, 2017
1 min

2018 Board Leadership Announced

Dale K. Heuer, M.D., has been named chair of the American Board of Ophthalmology for 2018. Dr. Heuer has served the ABO as a director for seven years, participating in the Finance, Conflict of Interest, and Oral Examination Committees. He is professor and chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he is also the director of the Eye Institute. Dr. Heuer earned a medical degree at Northwestern University Feinberg Sch

Dec 7, 2017
3 min

Thanksgiving, Celebration, and Hope

The year-end holidays remind us to give thanks for the past year, to celebrate all that is good in our lives, and to look forward to the opportunities ahead. As I conclude my first year as Chief Executive Officer of the American Board of Ophthalmology, I am grateful, joyful, and hopeful. First, I wish to share our thanks to you, the members of the ABO diplomate community, for engaging with us to help design and create a better board certification process. We particularly appr

Nov 8, 2017
1 min

Talk About the Future of Certification With Us in New Orleans

UPDATE: Couldn't join us for the discussion? Download the slide presentation. Join American Board of Ophthalmology Directors at the 2017 American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Annual Meeting in New Orleans for an informational session in the Learning Lounge. "Beyond MOC: The Future of ABO Certification" will be held Monday, November 13th from 3:30-4:30 PM in Learning Lounge 1, Hall G, Booth 3847. The discussion will be led by ABO Directors Jane Bailey, M.D., Andy Lauer, M.D.

Jul 7, 2017
1 min

Congratulations, New Diplomates!

The American Board of Ophthalmology is pleased to welcome 261 newly board certified ophthalmologists to the diplomate community. We congratulate you on your professional achievement and look forward to working with you to promote excellence in ophthalmic practice. #ophthalmology #americanboardofophthalmology #abocertification #abo #professionalachievement #oralexamination

Jul 6, 2017
1 min

American Board of Ophthalmology to Issue 30,000th Certificate

Official results from the June 2017 Oral Examination will be released to candidates within the next several days. The numbers indicate that the American Board of Ophthalmology, the nation's first medical specialty certification board, will certify its 30,000th diplomate this month. In celebration of reaching this significant milestone, we've created the following infographic about the role of board certification in ophthalmology, professionalism, and patient care: #americanbo

Jul 2, 2017
2 min

Quarterly Questions Pilot Program: First Quarter Report-Out

Thank you to the 972 early adopters who helped the American Board of Ophthalmology to pilot our new Quarterly Questions program. In the first three months of this initiative, participants answered 17,626 questions related to comprehensive ophthalmology and provided valuable feedback that the ABO will use to improve the Quarterly Questions pilot. New questions for the third quarter of 2017 are now available at https://questions.abop.org. (If you haven’t explored this optional

Jul 1, 2017
3 min

High or Low: Where Should We Set the Bar?

Last month, we began an examination of the seven principles that support the ABO’s mission: “To serve the public by certifying ophthalmologists through the verification of competencies.” The initial post fleshed out our commitment to our diplomates and to the public that “The ABO stewards its finances with integrity and transparency.” In this column I wish to comment on the principle that “Certification should promote and recognize aspirational goals, not minimum standards.”

Jun 22, 2017
2 min

A Fascinating Journey to the ABO Oral Exams

Pinar Aydin O'Dwyer, MD, PhD, is Professor of Ophthalmology and a Neuro-ophthalmologist in Ankara, Turkey. She is a member of the ICO Board of Trustees, a member of AOI, and Chair of the Turkish Board of Ophthalmology. Oral examinations are a potential nightmare for examining bodies because of issues related to standardization and bias. Although "a valid and fair" process is key to a successful examination, “gold standards” are difficult to attain. However, my experience as a

Jun 9, 2017
4 min

Financial Stewardship FAQs

Over the next few months, Diplomate Digest will feature each of the seven principles that support the ABO’s mission: To serve the public by certifying ophthalmologists through the verification of competencies. Although the principle "The ABO stewards its finances with integrity and transparency" is not the first one listed on our web site, it may be the theme about which I and others on the Board are asked most often. These inquiries likely result from critical reports about

Jun 9, 2017
1 min

Drs. Borchert & Tabbara to Receive Volunteer Award

The Board is pleased to recognize the longtime service of volunteers Mark S. Borchert, M.D., and Khalid F. Tabbara, M.D., by presenting them the 2017 Ben Goldfeller Volunteer Service Award at the 2017 Spring Oral Examination. Both Drs. Borchert and Tabbara have helped to administer 20 or more Oral Examinations for the American Board of Ophthalmology. The award is named for the late Mr. Ben Goldfeller, a resident of San Francisco and longtime friend of the ABO, who volunteered

Jun 9, 2017
2 min

Thank You, Chicago Examiners

The Board thanks the following diplomates for volunteering their time and talents to the administration of the June 9-11 Oral Examination in Chicago. Chrisfouad R. Alabiad, M.D. J. Brent Bond, M.D. Steven M. Couch, M.D. Robert I. Fish, M.D. Christopher T. Hood, M.D. Irene C. Kuo, M.D. Peter A. Quiros, M.D. Rithwick Rajagopal, M.D. Christen K. Richard, M.D. Steven I. Rosenfeld, M.D. Sarwat Salim, M.D. Lisa S. Thompson, M.D. James C. Tsai, M.D. John E. Bishop, M.D. Christophe

Jun 8, 2017
1 min

In Memoriam: Emeritus Director Lee Duffner, M.D.

The American Board of Ophthalmology mourns the loss of Lee Duffner, M.D., who served as a director of the Board from 1995 through 2002. Dr. Duffner completed his residency at Bascom Palmer in 1969, and was a voluntary professor of ophthalmology at Bascom Palmer for nearly 50 years, where he contributed to the ophthalmic education of hundreds of residents and fellows. He was one of the founding members of Eye Surgery Associates in Hollywood, Florida. Dr. Duffner was a fellow o

May 26, 2017
2 min

Remembering Emeritus Director Robert C. Drews, M.D.

Robert C. Drews, M.D., Emeritus Board Director, 1985-1992, passed away, May 9, 2017. He was fondly known as Bob by all who knew him. He was born September 9, 1930 to Leslie C Drews, M.D., also an ophthalmologist, and Sarah E. Drews and lived his entire life in St. Louis, MO. He graduated from Washington University in 1951 from the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Medicine in 1955. Bob trained as an ophthalmology resident from 1956-1959, and as chief resident

May 5, 2017
1 min

ABO Launches Patient Experience Survey-Based Quality Improvement Pilot

The American Board of Ophthalmology is now accepting sign-ups from up to 20 diplomates interested in piloting the development of a customized quality improvement project based on patient feedback for Maintenance of Certification (MOC) practice improvement credit. Here's how it works: Click here to register for the pilot. (Signing up now will not require you to complete the pilot. We just want to make sure we follow up with you to provide all the information and instructions y

May 5, 2017
1 min

WATCH: Measuring What Matters, a Webcast by ABO Public Director Scott Wallace

In this 15-minute video, ABO Public Director Scott Wallace, Managing Director of the Value Institute of Health and Care at the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, issues a call-to-action for the medical community to “measure what matters most”—the patient experience. “How do we return physicians to their professional mission as healers?” asks Wallace. “The answer is pretty simple—to measure more, and to measure differently.” Watch now and submit your que