#americanboardofophthalmology

Oct 4, 2017
2 min

ABO Mourns Dr. William H. Spencer, 1925-2017, Former Executive Director and Emeritus Director

It is with deep sadness that the American Board of Ophthalmology notes the passing of William H. Spencer, M.D., Director of the Board from 1974 to 1981 and Executive Director of the organization from 1986 to 1995. Dr. Spencer was born in New York City in 1925. His enthusiasm for ophthalmology was lifelong. As a child, Dr. Spencer had been treated for a hypermetropic accommodative squint in his left eye by an uncle who was an ophthalmologist. From him, Dr. Spencer learned how

Oct 1, 2017
1 min

ABO Creates Certification Pathway for Internationally Trained Ophthalmologists Practicing in the U.S

The American Board of Ophthalmology is now accepting online applications from qualified internationally trained ophthalmologists who practice in the United States and wish to become board certified. Applicants interested in entering the program in 2017 have until November 1 to apply. Current eligibility requirements for the ABO certification process include completion of residency training in an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical education (ACGME)-accredited training

Sep 24, 2017
1 min

In the News: Quarterly Questions Pilot Makes Top Stories of 2017 List in Ophthalmology Times

In a new blog post published by Ophthalmology Times, Florida diplomate Joshua Mali, M.D., highlights the American Board of Ophthalmology's Quarterly Questions Pilot Program as one of ophthalmology's top stories of the year. He writes: "As a board certified ophthalmologist and ABO diplomate, I am currently using the pilot program and find it to be fantastic. I encourage all board certified ophthalmologists to consider utilizing it in their maintenance of certification." Click

Sep 19, 2017
1 min

Link: Committing to a Culture of Patient Safety in this Month's Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology

In the September issue of the Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology, American Board of Ophthalmology Director Sophia Chung, M.D., and Emeritus Director Philip Custer, M.D., F.A.C.S., urge neuro-ophthalmologists to become “leaders in the culture of patient safety.” Drs. Chung and Custer trace the history of patient safety in the subspecialty and provide recommendations on how neuro-ophthalmologists can bridge the divide between neurology and ophthalmology to enhance safety for patien

Sep 8, 2017
1 min

For Test-Takers Impacted by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma

To our diplomates in Texas, Florida, Georgia, and Puerto Rico scheduled to take the September DOCK Examination or the October Oral Examination: The American Board of Ophthalmology hopes that you, your loved ones, and your patients are safe. If you have been impacted by hurricane damage or evacuations, the Board wishes to alleviate any worry you may have about your upcoming examination. Please check your email for a message from us. We will work with you to reschedule your exa

Sep 7, 2017
2 min

Meet the ABO's Newest Director: Dr. Ann Acers-Warn

Oklahoma ophthalmologist Ann Acers-Warn, M.D., MBA, will join the American Board of Ophthalmology as a Director beginning in January 2018. Her four-year term begins in January and is renewable for an additional four years. As a Director of the ABO, Dr. Acers-Warn will contribute to the development of certification standards and assessments for new and practicing ophthalmologists, participate in organizational governance, and monitor operational performance. The appointment of

Sep 6, 2017
3 min

Quarterly Questions Pilot: Your Feedback Drives Q4 Changes

The American Board of Ophthalmology is pleased to announce three changes to the upcoming article-based portion of the pilot, which begins October 1 in Q4. The article-based portion requires reading five articles from a list of 15 options and answering two questions per article (a total of 10 questions). The Q4 article-based questions focus on the application of knowledge and will be different from the 40 core questions already provided. What’s Different? More Time: You will h

Sep 6, 2017
1 min

Special Thanks to Our 2017 Exam Development Volunteers

Thank you to our 2017 Exam Development Volunteers for their work in developing and reviewing content for American Board of Ophthalmology assessments. The following diplomates have contributed to the Written Qualifying Examination (WQE), Oral Examination, Demonstration of Ophthalmic Cognitive Knowledge (DOCK) Examination, and/or the new Quarterly Questions pilot program. These volunteers will step away from their busy practices to travel to Philadelphia from September 14-17 to

Sep 5, 2017
1 min

Mark Your Calendar: ABO Learning Lounge @ AAO17, Monday, Nov. 13, 3:30 PM

#ophthalmology #americanboardofophthalmology #feedback

Aug 3, 2017
3 min

New pilot programs present alternative pathways to improving practice, assessing knowledge

Have you tried the American Board of Ophthalmology’s newest pilots for improving practice performance and assessing ophthalmic knowledge? Two optional programs are designed to help diplomates develop customized improvement projects and another works to build and measure current ophthalmic knowledge. More than 1100 of your colleagues have enrolled in one or more of these programs. Data-driven options for customizing improvement Over the 10-year cycle, every diplomate completes

Aug 2, 2017
3 min

Message From the CEO: An Experiment in Cooperative Individualism

In June we looked at the ABO’s commitment to financial transparency and integrity, and last month we examined our goal of making the certification process an aspirational goal. In this column I will comment on our principle: “The ABO is an independent certifying board of practicing ophthalmologists who collaborate whenever possible with professional societies, organizations, and other stakeholders who strive to advance excellence.” A quick word about the first ten words. It s

Aug 1, 2017
1 min

Infographic: Get Set for the 2017 DOCK

#ophthalmology #americanboardofophthalmology #exams

Jul 21, 2017
1 min

How to Use Your IRIS® Registry Dashboard for MOC

Did you know that you can use the American Academy of Ophthalmology's IRIS® Registry dashboard to create your own Improvement in Medical Practice activity for MOC? The measure performance report in your registry dashboard provides a data-entry-free way to create a personalized improvement project. Check out this AAO article for more information on how to turn your registry insights into MOC credit: https://www.aao.org/iris-registry/news/article/how-to-use-your-iris-registry-d

Jul 9, 2017
1 min

ABO Director Jane Bailey Addresses Unconscious Bias in JAMA Blog

How can well-meaning physicians minimize unconscious bias, asks American Board of Ophthalmology Director Jane Bailey, M.D., in a blog post for JAMA’s Topics in Ophthalmology: More than one-fourth of practicing US physicians are foreign born. Many others are offspring of immigrants. Many of these individuals had training overseas before entering a US program. Because of visa requirements, IMGs often work in rural areas or underserved communities. By 2025, we will be facing a s

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 6, 2017
1 min

What Do You Love About Ophthalmology?

It’s July—which means it’s time to welcome the newest group of medical school graduates as they begin their ophthalmic training at programs across the country. To our newest trainees: what attracted you to the specialty ophthalmology? And for those already in practice, what do you love most about the profession? For American Board of Ophthalmology Diplomate Charles C. Wykoff, M.D., Ph.D., it’s the possibility of restoring sight. In a recent piece for Medscape, he explains: Fo

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 29, 2017
1 min

Do Physicians Need More Business Training?

This week, LinkedIn published a recent survey of 500 physicians in the United States. The findings suggested that doctors believe their training has not fully prepared them to address the “business of healthcare.” Healthcare news editor Beth Kutscher writes: Physicians practicing in the United States complete four years of medical school and then spend several more years in residency and fellowship. But all that clinical training, they say, doesn’t prepare them for the realit