Diplomate Digest - The American Board of Ophthalmology Blog

Examiners for the American Board of Ophthalmology are diplomates selected for their embodiment of the Board's commitment to excellence and high-quality ophthalmic care. ABO Examiners lead the oral examination process; many also share their expertise in the development of examination materials. The success of the Oral Examination process in providing a fair and comprehensive assessment of each candidate for Board Certification depends on each Examiner's knowledge, skill, chara

A new examination timeline in place at the American Board of Ophthalmology provides graduating residents with the opportunity to achieve board certification within nine months. The Written Qualifying Examination (WQE), traditionally given in the spring, has been moved to September. The Oral Examination, previously offered two times per year, will be held once annually in March, starting with the 2020 administration. Under the old certification timeline, graduating residents r

At the June 2019 Oral Examination in Rosemont, IL, two longtime American Board of Ophthalmology examiners reached the 20-examination milestone: John Welch, MD, of Hastings, NE, has been an examiner for the ABO since 1995. Dr. Welch has mentored nine new examiners and assisted with oral examination content development. Dr. Welch, who practices at Retina Center of Nebraska, earned a medical degree from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine and went on to complete his i

The American Board of Ophthalmology thanks the diplomates listed below for volunteering to examine candidates at the June 7-9 Oral Examination in Rosemont, IL. Examiners are diplomates selected by the ABO to help develop and administer the Oral Examination. Examiners are selected based on a strict ABO evaluation and a strong commitment to providing quality ophthalmic care. The ABO is grateful to the many current Examiners who assist in the examination process and who do so wi

Last October, I left the American Board of Ophthalmology Oral Examination in San Francisco and flew to Los Angeles to visit my son, who had just moved across the country. The night I arrived, we walked out of his apartment and noticed a group of people standing in the street, staring up into the sky. We looked up and saw something that resembled Daenerys Targaryen's dragons flying overhead. With Hollywood nearby, I figured it was some kind of special effect for a movie produc

Volunteers make the work of the American Board of Ophthalmology possible. The extraordinary contributions of nearly 600 examiners and examination development volunteers enable the ABO to deliver high-quality assessments and professional development activities to thousands of ophthalmologists each year. Volunteers for the American Board of Ophthalmology are diplomates selected to examine at the oral examination, develop items for written and oral examinations, and serve as spe

American Board of Ophthalmology Emeritus Director Keith Baratz, MD, and Examiner Sanjay Patel, MD, of Mayo Clinic, were recently featured by Minneapolis television station KARE for their efforts to study and treat Fuchs' dystrophy, a swelling of the cornea that causes blurry and foggy vision. The news broadcast told the story of two sisters who needed surgery following their Fuchs' diagnosis. Once their procedures were completed and their vision improved, their concern turned