American Board of Preventive Medicine 111 West Jackson, Suite 1110 Chicago, Illinois  60604 Tel: (312) 939-2276 www.abprevmed.org

A Preventive Medicine specialist focuses on the health of individuals and defined populations in order to protect, promote and maintain health and well-being, and to prevent disease, disability and premature death. The distinctive components of Preventive Medicine include:

• Biostatistics and the application of biostatistical principles and methodology
• Epidemiology and its application to population-based medicine and research
• Health services management and administration including: developing, assessing, and assuring health policies; planning, implementing, directing, budgeting and evaluating population health and disease management programs; and utilizing legislative and regulatory processes to enhance health
• Control of environmental factors that may adversely affect health
• Control and prevention of occupational factors that may adversely affect health safety
• Clinical preventive medicine activities, including measures to promote health and prevent the occurrence, progression and disabling effects of disease and injury
• Assessment of social, cultural and behavioral influences on health

A Preventive Medicine physician may be a specialist in general Preventive Medicine, Public Health, Occupational Medicine or Aerospace Medicine. This specialist works with large population groups as well as with individual patients to promote health and understand the risks of disease, injury, disability and death, seeking to modify and eliminate these risks.

Training Required: Three years

Subspecialties for Preventive Medicine

Certification in one of the following subspecialties requires additional training and examination.

• Medical Toxicology
  Medical Toxicologists are physicians who specialize in the prevention, evaluation, treatment and monitoring of injury and illness from exposures to drugs and chemicals, as well as biological and radiological agents. Medical toxicologists care for people in clinical, academic, governmental and public health settings, and provide poison control center leadership. Important areas of medical toxicology include acute drug poisoning, adverse drug events, drug abuse, addiction and withdrawal chemicals and hazardous materials, terrorism preparedness, venomous bites and stings and environmental and workplace exposures.
  
  
• Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine
  A Preventive Medicine physician who specializes in Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine has expertise in the treatment of decompression illness and diving accident cases. This specialist uses hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat such conditions as carbon monoxide poisoning, gas gangrene, non-healing wounds, tissue damage from radiation and burns and bone infections. An Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine specialist also serves as consultant to other physicians in all aspects of hyperbaric chamber operations, and assesses risks and applies appropriate standards to prevent disease and disability in divers and other persons working in altered atmospheric conditions.
  

Explore another specialty