Continuing Board Certification: Achieving the Vision Task Forces Named

On July 11, 2019

Continuing Board Certification: Achieving the Vision Update

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has announced the members of the five Continuing Board Certification: Achieving the Vision Task Forces. With guidance from the recently named Oversight Committee, these Task Forces will work to implement key recommendations outlined by the Continuing Board Certification: Vision for the Future Commission (Commission) in its final report.

Selected for their expertise, knowledge, and representation of a broad stakeholder community, four of the five task forces comprise a combination of external authorities and ABMS Member Board leaders. The Standards Task Force, due to its unique charge, comprises Member Board leaders only. Each Task Force member brings significant experience in his/her professional area as well as a commitment to ensure that the continuing board certification process brings value to practicing physicians as well as the patients, families, and communities served.

Members of the Task Forces, which also include a liaison from the ABMS Stakeholder Council, are as follows:

Advancing Practice Task Force

Engaging specialty societies, the continuing medical education and continuing professional development communities, and other expert stakeholders, the Task Force members will identify practice environmental changes necessary to support learning and improvement activities that produce data-driven advances in physicians’ clinical practice.

  • Warren P. Newton, MD, MPH (Chair)
  • Maryanne C. Bombaugh, MD, MBA
  • Deborah J. Culley, MD
  • Anne-Marie Irani, MD
  • Rebecca L. Johnson, MD
  • Samuel M. Keim, MD
  • Bruce A. Nitsche, MD
  • Cynthia D. Smith, MD
  • Steven C. Thornquist, MD
  • Carol A. Berkowitz, MD (Stakeholder Council liaison)

Information and Data Sharing Task Force

Members of this Task Force will make recommendations regarding the processes and infrastructure necessary to facilitate data and information sharing between ABMS Member Boards and key stakeholders to support development of future educational and assessment programs and activities.

  • Richard P. Dutton, MD, MBA (Chair)
  • Ulysses G. J. Balis, MD
  • Beth A. Bortz, MPP
  • Patricia J. Hicks, MD, MHPE
  • Dominic H. Mack, MD, MBA
  • Brian Nussenbaum, MD, MHCM
  • Suzann Y. Pershing, MD, MS
  • Kevin L. Rode, BBA, PMP
  • Randall K. Roenigk, MD
  • Diane Meldi, MBA (Stakeholder Council liaison)

Professionalism Task Force

Dedicated to address the aspirational Commission recommendation calling for ABMS and its Member Boards to develop approaches to evaluate professionalism and professional standing, members of this Task Force will work with other stakeholder organizations to explore approaches to future assessment of professionalism and enhance consistency in judgments regarding professional standing.

  • Christie L. Morgan, MD, MS (Chair)
  • Carol Cronin, MSG, MSW
  • Thomas W. Hess, JD
  • Valerie P. Jackson, MD
  • Mark T. Keegan, MB, BCh
  • Eve M. Kurtin, PharmD, MBA
  • Bhushan H. Pandya, MD, MAMC
  • Katherine D. Sherif, MD
  • Christopher R. Thomas, MD
  • Frederic W. Hafferty, PhD (Stakeholder Council liaison)

Remediation Task Force

This Task Force will define aspects and suggest pathways for remediation of gaps prior to certification loss as well as pathways for regaining eligibility after loss of certification.

  • Suzanne K. Woods, MD (Chair)
  • Eva M. Aagaard, MD
  • David E.J. Bazzo, MD
  • Ole-Petter Hamnvik, MD, BCh
  • Walter H. Merrill, MD
  • John C. Moorhead, MD, MS
  • James C. Puffer, MD
  • James A. Sliwa, DO
  • David A. Swankin, JD, MS
  • Donald J. Palmisano, Jr., JD (Stakeholder Council liaison)

Standards Task Force

This Task Force will develop new continuing certification standards, consistent with the Commission’s recommendations, which will be implemented by the ABMS Member Boards. Members will obtain appropriate input from stakeholders including practicing physicians.

  • Michael L. Ritchey, MD
  • Richard G. Battaglia, MD
  • Elizabeth G. Baxley, MD
  • Daniel J. Cole, MD
  • David G. Nichols, MD, MBA
  • Susan M. Ramin, MD
  • Earl J. Reisdorff, MD
  • Ricardo Correa-Marquez, MD, EsD (Stakeholder Council liaison)

The Task Forces are expected to begin work in July.


Find resources and follow the progress of ABMS and its 24 Member Boards on the Achieving the Vision web page.

Sign up for email updates about the boards’ implementation efforts.

Download a PDF of this Achieving the Vision Update.

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