Blog | ABO Diplomate Digest

Mar 31, 2020
1 min

Share Your Patient Safety Story

The American Board of Ophthalmology is collecting stories for an ABO-led series in the Morning Rounds section of the American Academy of Ophthalmology's EyeNet magazine. If you have a story you think would help illustrate the importance of patient safety protocols, the ABO is presently collecting anonymized cases. Each story of 1,500 words or fewer adheres to a template that includes the following elements: Case Summary Brief case description with key details, including: Expl

Nov 20, 2019
5 min

Congratulations, New Diplomates!

The American Board of Ophthalmology is pleased to welcome the following newly board-certified ophthalmologists to our diplomate community following the Fall 2019 Oral Examination in Rosemont, IL. -A- Walid Abdallah, M.D., Alhambra, CA Osemelu Aburime, M.D., Atlanta, GA Christopher Adam, M.D., Detroit, MI Mona Adeli, M.D., Columbus, OH Esen Akpek, M.D., Baltimore, MD Tomas Aleman, M.D., Croydon, PA Rashed Alhabshan, M.D., McAllen, TX Mouhab Aljajeh, M.D., Newburgh, IN Erica Al

Jul 31, 2019
1 min

Questions about MOC? Visit the ABO Learning Learning Lounge at AAO 2019

The American Board of Ophthalmology will once again host a Learning Lounge during the American Academy of Ophthalmology's Annual Meeting, open to any diplomate interested in learning more about maintaining certification. Led by CEO George B. Bartley, MD, and MOC Committee Chair Andreas K. Lauer, MD, along with staff and directors of the ABO, the session will walk attendees through the updates and improvements to the recertification process, including the elimination of the 10

Jul 3, 2019
1 min

Share Your Most Memorable Patient Safety Cases

In the July 2019 edition of the American Academy of Ophthalmology's EyeNet magazine, American Board of Ophthalmology diplomate Tamara Fountain, MD, with co-author and ABO Emeritus Director Philip L. Custer, MD, explore the root cause of a surgical oversight (note: AAO login required). Edited by ABO Director Jane Bailey, MD, the article is part of an ABO-led series for the Morning Rounds section of the magazine. If you have a story you think would help illustrate the importanc

Mar 21, 2019
2 min

Remembering Dr. John T. Flynn, Emeritus Director

The American Board of Ophthalmology extends its deepest condolences to the family of renown pediatric ophthalmologist and educator John T. Flynn, MD, who passed away March 18 at the age of 88. Dr. Flynn served as a Director of the ABO from 1987 to 1995 and was a dedicated Oral Examiner for the Board. Even after his ABO service concluded, Dr. Flynn's training videos on how to deliver the Oral Examination continued to offer guidance to nearly two decades of ABO volunteers and a

Jan 2, 2019
1 min

ABO MOC Program Named #3 on List of the Year’s Top 5 Stories in Ophthalmology

Ophthalmology Times blogger, vitreoretinal surgeon, and American Board of Ophthalmology diplomate Joshua Mali, MD, recently named the year’s top stories in the profession. Among his choices for influential and important news and events, which included advancements in artificial intelligence and healthcare law reform, Dr. Mali selected the improvements to the 2019 ABO Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program as #3 on the list. “The ABO has developed impressive new initiative

Jan 2, 2019
3 min

Ask a Test Scientist: What Do Examination Scores Mean?

It is not uncommon to receive the results from an examination and see a score that in no way reflects the number of questions you answered correctly (think of the ACT score range of 1-36 or the SAT range of 200-800 per section). The scores that are reported on the ACT or SAT are called “scaled scores.” These are a transformation of the number of questions an individual answered correctly, which is referred to as a “raw score.” For example, the English section of the ACT has 7

Dec 31, 2018
7 min

Get to Know the 2019 American Board of Ophthalmology Maintenance of Certification Program

Excellence begins at board certification, but it doesn’t end there. For physicians, what it means to be excellent advances with every new discovery and technological breakthrough. To offer patients the highest levels of care in ophthalmology, board-certified ophthalmologists adapt and improve on a lifelong continuum. So, too, does the program for Maintenance of Certification (MOC). What started as a regimented sequence of activities and assessments in the 1990s has evolved in

Dec 6, 2018
3 min

Moving the Goalposts

“Please stop moving the goalposts.” That was the request of a colleague who attended the ABO’s Learning Lounge session on Maintenance of Certification (MOC) at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting in Chicago this past October. There is no denying that much has changed at the ABO during the past couple of years – and that much change is afoot. And there is no doubt that change sometimes can be uncomfortable and annoying. So, please allow me to explain why movin

Dec 5, 2018
5 min

11 Ways To Get Involved With the ABO

The impetus for board certification in American medicine did not come from the federal government or even public watchdogs. It arose more than a century ago from practicing physicians like you who wanted to address concerns about the qualifications and training of individuals claiming to be specialists in ophthalmology. In the early 1900s, leaders of our profession came together and established a framework for board certification in a medical specialty that would go on to set

Nov 29, 2018
2 min

New CME Menu Launching in 2019 Will Expand MOC Activity Options for ABO-Certified Ophthalmologists

The American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) will partner with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME®) in 2019 to expand opportunities for ABO-Certified ophthalmologists to earn Maintenance of Certification (MOC) credit for participating in continuing medical education (CME) activities that meet ABO standards. The new collaboration is designed to increase the number and diversity of accredited CME activities that meet the requirements for ABO MOC and

Nov 28, 2018
2 min

DOCK Examination Deadline Extended through December 31, 2018

The American Board of Ophthalmology has extended the deadline to complete the Demonstration of Ophthalmic Cognitive (DOCK) Examination for Maintenance of Certification (MOC) through December 31, 2018. If you plan to take the DOCK, you must register on your MOC Status Page, schedule your appointment, and complete the online proctored examination no later than December 31. Upon registration, you may immediately schedule your preferred testing appointment through your ABO MOC St

Nov 21, 2018
1 min

Two New Directors Set to Join the ABO in 2019

The American Board of Ophthalmology will welcome Chris V. Albanis, MD, and Bennie H. Jeng, MD, to the Board of Directors in 2019. Dr. Albanis is a Managing Partner at Arbor Centers for EyeCare, a Clinical Associate at the University of Chicago, and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Chicago, where she practices comprehensive ophthalmology. Dr. Albanis has held numerous leadership posts with the Illinois Society of Eye Physicians and

Nov 1, 2018
5 min

Congratulations and Welcome to Our Newest Diplomates (Fall 2018)

The American Board of Ophthalmology diplomate community officially grew 284 members stronger today. Please join us in congratulating the following newly board-certified ophthalmologists on their professional achievement in having recently passed both the Written Qualifying Examination (WQE) and Oral Examination. -A- Frances Acosta, M.D., Tampa, FL Matthew Adams, M.D., Rochester, MN Mariam Ahmad, M.D., Denver, CO Shazia Ali, M.D., Manvel, TX Joseph Alsberge, M.D., San Francisc

Aug 4, 2018
2 min

Thank You, 2018 Exam Development Volunteers

The American Board of Ophthalmology thanks the following groups of diplomate-volunteers who contributed their knowledge and ophthalmic expertise to the 2018 Exam Development Meeting in Philadelphia from August 2-4. Cataract Geoffrey Emerick, M.D. Robert Fish, M.D. Gregory Katz, M.D. Yousuf Khalifa, M.D. Amy Lin, M.D. Leslie Olsakovsky, M.D. Bhavna Sheth, M.D. Sonal Tuli, M.D. Brian Welcome, M.D. Comprehensive Jane Bailey, M.D. Sean Breit, M.D. John Campagna, M.D. Francesca Gi

Jul 5, 2018
4 min

Nine Trailblazers Who Championed Ophthalmology’s Independence in Medicine

The founding Directors of the American Board of Ophthalmology included some of the most prominent ophthalmologists of the day. Directors, who believed in setting high standards for the protection of the profession and the public, represented each of the three founding organizations: the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, the American Ophthalmological Society, and the Section on Ophthalmology of the American Medical Association. The nine original directors o

Jul 2, 2018
1 min

New Directors Set to Join the ABO in 2019

At its June meeting, the American Board of Ophthalmology voted to invite Chris V. Albanis, M.D., and Bennie H. Jeng, M.D., to join the Board of Directors in 2019. Dr. Albanis is a Managing Partner at Arbor Centers for EyeCare, a Clinical Associate at the University of Chicago, and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Chicago, where she practices comprehensive ophthalmology. Dr. Albanis has held numerous leadership posts with the Illino

Jul 1, 2018
2 min

The Science of Testing: How Key Validation Ensures Fairness on ABO Examinations

Key validation is a process whereby examination items (questions) are reviewed to ensure they are fair. After the administration of an examination, an item analysis is performed by a psychometrician. This analysis provides information about how many examinees answered each item correctly, which options (A, B, C, or D) were selected most often, and which items positively discriminated higher from lower performers. This analysis doesn’t in and of itself identify an unfair or “f

Jun 23, 2018
1 min

Ophthalmology Influencers Come Together at ASOPRS 2018 Spring Symposium

American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) subspecialty liaison Jeremiah Tao, M.D., recently organized a panel of speakers at the ASOPRS 2018 Spring Symposium in Austin, TX, which included ABO CEO George Bartley, M.D., and ABO Public Director Scott Wallace, J.D., MBA. In a session entitled, “You Know You’re Great…But How Will Your Patients Know,” Dr. Bartley discussed how ABO certification serves as an objective source of public information and a reliable, verifiable credential of

Jun 18, 2018
3 min

Thank You, June Examiners!

The Board thanks the following diplomates for volunteering their time and talents to the administration of the June 2018 Oral Examination in San Francisco: Aaron, Maria E.M. - Atlanta, GA Agarwal, Anita - Nashville, TN Albanis, Chris V. - Chicago, IL Alcorn, Debby M. - Stanford, CA Allen, Richard C. - Houston, TX Beauchamp, Cynthia L. - Dallas, TX Beller, Richard A. - Napa, CA Berzins, U. John - Salem, OR Bhatti, M. Tariq - Durham, NC Birkholz, Emily S. - Mankato, MN Bishop,