#professionalachievement

Jun 6, 2019
3 min

Thank You, June Examiners!

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

Jun 4, 2019
1 min

Ophthalmology Community Mourns Pioneering Inventor and Educator Dr. Patricia Bath

The community of ophthalmology mourns the recent loss of American Board of Ophthalmology Diplomate Patricia Bath, MD, the pioneering ophthalmologist, inventor, and educator who spent a lifetime making history as the first: African-American resident in ophthalmology at New York University; Woman to join the Jules Stein Eye Institute; Woman to lead a post-graduate training program in ophthalmology; African-American woman to serve on staff as a surgeon at the UCLA Medical Center

Jun 3, 2019
3 min

Two New Options Now Available for ABO MOC Part IV: Improvement in Medical Practice

The American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) is pleased to announce the availability of new options for earning Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part IV credit. Through continued collaboration with the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the ABO has added two AAO-sponsored online learning activities to the Improvement in Medical Practice Menu. Selecting and completing one of these activities will satisfy one ABO MOC Part IV activity requirement. The available AAO activiti

May 16, 2019
3 min

ABO Diplomate Earns National Award for Community Service and Professional Achievement

Congratulations to American Board of Ophthalmology Diplomate Lawrence Najarian, MD, of Bedminster, NJ, who received the 2019 Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Awarded annually to distinguished citizens who exemplify a life dedicated to community service and extraordinary accomplishments in their field, Dr. Najarian was one of 94 medalists recognized this year. In a May 11 ceremony held inside Ellis Island’s historic Great Hall, the original registry room and gateway for 12 million

Apr 24, 2019
2 min

ABO Vice Chair Featured as April's "NANOS Hero"

American Board of Ophthalmology Vice Chair Lanning B. Kline, MD, was featured as the North-American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society's (NANOS) "Hero of the Month." In the interview, Dr. Kline was asked about the most important things he'd learned in fellowship along with the top three things he'd learned within the last five years of his practice. Dr. Kline cited "listening to the patient," as the most significant clinical pearl he'd heard during his training. Today, he explained,

Mar 30, 2019
1 min

In the News: ABO Diplomate Dr. Mark Rosenblatt Becomes UIC Medical School Dean

American Board of Ophthalmology diplomate Mark Rosenblatt, MD, PhD, MBA, has been named Dean of the University of Illinois College of Medicine. Dr. Rosenblatt was most recently the Illinois Lions/Charles I. Young Chair, Professor, and Head of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Chicago. As an internationally recognized clinician-scientist and Director of the Corneal Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Dr. Rosenbl

Mar 22, 2019
1 min

Iowa Ophthalmologist Dr. Nikhil Wagle Appointed to State Medical Board

American Board of Ophthalmology diplomate Nikhil Wagle, MD, has been appointed to the Iowa Board of Medicine by Governor Kim Reynolds for a 3-year term beginning May 1, 2019, pending Senate confirmation in April. Dr. Wagle, who is in private practice at Eye Surgeons Associates of Bettendorf, IA, will become one of 10 members of the board, which includes five practicing MDs, two practicing DOs, and three members of the public. Dr. Wagle, who achieved board certification in oph

Mar 7, 2019
3 min

Discover New Ideas in the Improvement in Medical Practice Project Library

One option to complete an Improvement in Medical Practice activity for Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part IV credit is to design your own Improvement in Medical Practice project using a standard quality improvement methodology, such as the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle. If you are connected to the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s IRIS® Registry, you are encouraged to base your project on the monthly performance rates on clinical quality measures and quality improvem

Feb 8, 2019
1 min

ABO Director Dr. Debra J. Shetlar Named President-Elect of AAOOP

The American Board of Ophthalmology congratulates Director Debra J. Shetlar, MD, who was recently voted president-elect of the American Association of Ophthalmic Oncologists and Pathologists (AAOOP). She will remain president-elect of the society for two years before serving as president for two years. Dr. Shetlar is an associate professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Pathology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. She is also a staff physician at the Michael E.

Jan 2, 2019
3 min

2019 Quarterly Questions: How 1 Activity Delivers 4 MOC Benefits

The American Board of Ophthalmology’s Quarterly Questions program is both a learning activity and a longitudinal assessment tool that serves as the heart of the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) process. As of 2019, the Quarterly Questions program officially replaces the DOCK Examination. Available online, on-demand, and completed at your own pace, the Quarterly Questions program invites participants to answer clinical practice-related knowledge questions and enhance ophthal

Jan 1, 2019
1 min

Apply Now to the 2019-2020 ABMS Visiting Scholars Program

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Visiting Scholars Program is a one-year, part-time program that positions early career physicians as future health care leaders. The Visiting Scholars Program facilitates research in areas including physician assessment, performance and quality improvement, continuing professional development, and initial and continuing board certification. The application period for 2019–2020 closes May 1, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. CT. Notification of

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
2 min

Drs. Sheth, Kline Named to 2019 American Board of Ophthalmology Leadership Posts

The American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) announced the appointment of directors Bhavna P. Sheth, MD, MBA, as chair, and Lanning B. Kline, MD, as vice chair, beginning January 1, 2019. Dr. Sheth is a tenured professor of ophthalmology at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), chief of comprehensive ophthalmology at the Eye Institute, and chief of ophthalmology at Zablocki VA Medical Center, all located in Milwaukee. In 2019, she will begin the eighth and final year of her te

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 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
3 min

2019 American Board of Ophthalmology Maintenance of Certification Program Preview

If you attended the American Board of Ophthalmology’s Learning Lounge at AAO 2018 last month, you were among the first to hear about the improvements coming to the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program in 2019. In response to the feedback of the diplomate community in ophthalmology, and thanks to the hard work of your peer content writers and reviewers, the ABO looks forward to the January release of a 2019 recertification program that enhances the diplomate experience,

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