#americanboardofophthalmology

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 20, 2018
2 min

ABO Diplomate Dr. Joel Schuman Named to ABMS Stakeholder Council

Joel Schuman, MD, a diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology, has been named to the newly formed Stakeholder Council of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). ABMS is the umbrella organization for the 24 medical specialty certification boards in the United States. As an advisory body, the ABMS Stakeholder Council will represent the interests of physicians, patients, and the public. It was established in 2018 to ensure that the decisions of the ABMS Board of

Nov 8, 2018
1 min

November Holiday Hours

The American Board of Ophthalmology will be closed for business on Thursday, November 22 (Thanksgiving Day) and Friday, November 23. If you are planning to work on Maintenance of Certification activities (such as improvement projects or online examinations) over the holiday weekend, please consider contacting the ABO in advance of these dates with any questions or scheduling needs you may have. To reach the ABO Office, call 610-664-1175 or write to moc@abop.org. All calls and

Nov 8, 2018
5 min

Get to Know the Quarterly Questions Program

The American Board of Ophthalmology’s new Quarterly Questions program brings the future of assessment in clinical knowledge to today’s Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Both a learning activity and an assessment tool, the Quarterly Questions program is available online, on-demand and may be completed at your own pace. The program invites you to answer questions in increments throughout the 10-year cycle in order to measure practice-related knowledge in a longitudina

Nov 7, 2018
8 min

2018 American Board of Ophthalmology Volunteer Honor Roll

New Examiners Beardsley, Robert M. - Eugene, OR Birkholz, Emily S. - Mankato, MN Birnbach, Charles D. - Lake Forest Park, WA Bishop, Frank M. - Chula Vista, CA Carolan, James A. - Novato, CA Cavuoto, Kara M. - Miami, FL Chan, Clement K. - Palm Springs, CA Giangiacomo, Annette L. - Decatur, GA Goldstein, Jeffrey B. - Asheville, NC Hegleh, Joseph A. - Sarasota, FL Kim, Brian Y. - Williston, VT Larson, Scott A. - Iowa City, IA Lin, Amy - Salt Lake City, UT Mohadjer, Yasaman - Gu

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

Oct 24, 2018
2 min

How a Mid-Career Fellowship Changed One Ophthalmologist's Perspective

American Board of Ophthalmology Director Jane Bailey, MD, enjoyed a comfortable life in Nebraska with an active family and a busy private practice. But after 21 years, she longed for a new professional challenge: to experience the work she loved in a whole different way. So, in 2017, at the age of 51, she left her successful practice behind, packed her bags, and moved her family 250 miles to enroll in a neuro-ophthalmology fellowship training program at the University of Iowa

Oct 10, 2018
2 min

Dr. Martha Wright Receives American Board of Ophthalmology's Goldfeller Volunteer Service Award

On October 5, 2018, the American Board of Ophthalmology recognized the extraordinary dedication of diplomate Martha M. Wright, MD, of Minneapolis, who has served as an Examiner at 20 Oral Examinations. For her long record of service, she was presented with the ABO’s Goldfeller Award. Dr. Wright became an Examiner for the first time in 2001 and has participated in exam development every year since 2013. (Dr. Wright is pictured with ABO Chair Dale Heuer, MD.) Dr. Wright is a pr

Oct 9, 2018
2 min

ABMS Releases Certification Report

More than 880,000 physicians in the United States are board certified; California, New York, and Texas are the states with the largest number of active physician certificates; and Neurological Care is the newest approved subspecialty certification. These are just a sampling of facts and statistics found in the latest ABMS Board Certification Report released by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). (The American Board of Ophthalmology is one of 24 Member Boards of

Sep 24, 2018
2 min

Remembering Dr. Martha Farber (1950-2018), First Woman Ophthalmologist to Chair the American Board o

The ophthalmic community mourns the loss of Martha J. (Gilmore) Farber, MD, 67, of Delmar, NY. Dr. Farber, who became the first woman ophthalmologist to chair the American Board of Ophthalmology in 2009, was a distinguished physician and educator who dedicated her life to serving veterans in Albany. Dr. Farber graduated with honors from SUNY Downstate Medical School in Brooklyn and went on to complete her internship at Albany Medical Center. She then entered residency trainin

Sep 19, 2018
2 min

ABMS Releases Statement Opposing Increase in Government Regulation of Physicians

The American Board of Medical Specialties, which represents 24 medical specialty certification boards in the United States including the American Board of Ophthalmology, released a statement this week in response to proposed legislation in Maryland that would restrict hospitals and health plans from setting quality standards for physicians using board certification. The statement defends the value of independent, physician-led self-regulation, and champions the advanced knowl

Sep 18, 2018
4 min

Financial Transparency: How the ABO Manages Expenses & Revenue (2018)

What is the ABO’s annual budget? What are its sources of revenue and how is the money spent? As depicted in the accompanying graphic, the ABO’s sole source of income is fees for its examinations (written, oral, and Maintenance of Certification), totaling approximately $4.8 million annually. On the expense side, approximately $2.5 million is required to conduct the initial written ($815,000) and oral ($1.68 million) certifying examinations. Expenses to administer the Maintenan

Sep 12, 2018
1 min

ABO Earns GuideStar’s Platinum Seal of Transparency

The American Board of Ophthalmology recently earned the 2018 Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar, the world’s largest source of nonprofit information. The ABO is committed to transparency and integrity in stewarding its finances, which are derived almost entirely from examination fees. “ABO diplomates and candidates for ABO certification are our colleagues, and they should be confident that the ABO, as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the public and

Sep 10, 2018
2 min

The ABO Office Has a New Mailing Address

After nearly 40 years in its leased office space in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, the ABO office is transitioning to a fully virtual office in October. Staff will operate as a distributed workforce, with the goals of allowing the ABO to boost productivity, reduce operational expenses, and focus on the continued development of learning, assessment, and improvement resources for ophthalmologists. The new mailing address for all business correspondence is: American Board of Ophthal

Aug 23, 2018
2 min

Need SACME? Don’t Miss These Opportunities at AAO 2018

American Board of Ophthalmology diplomates certified or recertified after 2012 should complete 8 Self-Assessment CME (SACME) credits per year (and attest to their completion every other year) as part of the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. If you’re still looking for ways to meet your SACME total before the end of the year and you’re attending the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s (AAO) 2018 Annual Meeting in October, you’ll have 21 options for increasing your SA

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 26, 2018
2 min

How the ABO Reports Your Certification Status

A recent American Academy of Ophthalmology Advisory Recommendation requested that the American Board of Ophthalmology modify its public reporting to include the dates of initial ABO certification in addition to whether a diplomate is participating in Maintenance of Certification. Actually, the ABO has been reporting such information for several years with the goal of helping patients make informed decisions when choosing a doctor. Reporting Certification Status: How it Works

Jul 16, 2018
1 min

Late DOCK Registration Ends August 1

The final administration of the DOCK Examination is happening this year. As of 2019, all ophthalmologists will transition to the new Quarterly Questions program. The DOCK Examination tests clinically relevant fundamental knowledge in ophthalmology as well as self-selected practice-related knowledge. The exam is based on the MOC Content Outline, a curriculum of clinically relevant ophthalmic knowledge developed by hundreds of practicing ophthalmologists. The testing window has

Jul 9, 2018
6 min

Congratulations and Welcome to Our Newest Diplomates

The American Board of Ophthalmology diplomate community officially grew 287 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- Salwa Abdel-Aziz, M.D., Tucson, AZ Lilit Ablabutyan, M.D., Glendale, CA Ashley Abraham, M.D., Plano, TX Usiwoma Abugo, M.D., Abingdon, MD Negin Agange, M.D., San

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