ABMS Announces New Board of Directors Officers

CHICAGO, July 16, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the leading not-for-profit organization overseeing physician certification in the United States, is pleased to announce the election of Barry S. Smith, MD, as the 37th Chair of its Board of Directors (BOD) at the ABMS BOD meeting held June 20-21 in Chicago.

Dr. Smith has served on the ABMS BOD since 2012. He is a member of the ABMS Multi-Specialty Portfolio Program's BOD and serves on various ABMS committees. Dr. Smith was a Director of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation from 1999 to 2011. He is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston where he has worked since 2005. Previously, Dr. Smith served as the Interim Chair and Program Director for the Department. Before joining Baylor in Houston, he was the Chair and Medical Director of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas and served as the Medical Director of the Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Smith is past President of both the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and the Association of Academic Physiatrists. Dr. Smith succeeds John C. Moorhead, MD, MS, who served as ABMS BOD Chair from 2016 to 2018. Dr. Moorhead will now serve as Immediate Past Chair.

"Barry Smith is a dedicated leader who shares ABMS' mission to improve the quality of health care through setting professional standards for Board Certification in partnership with our Member Boards," said Richard E. Hawkins, MD, ABMS President and Chief Executive Officer. "As a pioneer in physical medicine and rehabilitation, he is well prepared to lead ABMS as we continue to refine and innovate our processes for initial certification and continuing certification."

Replacing Dr. Smith as Chair-Elect is Larry A. Green, MD, who has served on the ABMS BOD since 2010. He is a member of the ABMS Executive Committee, and Ethics and Professionalism Committee. Dr. Green is Past Chair of the American Board of Family Medicine's (ABFM) BOD, a member of the American Board of Family Medicine Foundation's BOD, and has served on numerous ABMS and ABFM Committees. Currently, he is the Professor and Epperson Zorn Chair for Innovation in Family Medicine and Primary Care at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Green has been involved in academic medicine for more than 40 years, having joined the faculty at the University of Colorado in 1977.

"Larry Green's involvement in the ABMS Boards Community dates back nearly two decades. During that time, he has been a passionate advocate of Board Certification, ethics and professionalism. These characteristics, along with his record of outstanding contributions to the Boards Community, will allow for an easy transition into the role of Chair-Elect," Dr. Hawkins said.

"The dedication and commitment of our volunteer leaders makes it possible for ABMS to continue to remain focused on work that serves the public and the medical profession," Dr. Hawkins said. "The ABMS Boards Community appreciates all of their work, guidance, and stewardship on behalf of the profession and the public."

Following is a complete list of the 2018-2019 ABMS Board of Directors Officers and Executive Committee Members:

ABMS Board Officers

• Barry S. Smith, MD (Chair) ? American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Larry A. Green, MD (Chair-Elect) ? American Board of Family Medicine
• Anne-Marie Irani, MD (Secretary-Treasurer) ? American Board of Allergy & Immunology
• John C. Moorhead, MD, MS (Immediate Past Chair) ? American Board of Emergency Medicine
• Richard E. Hawkins, MD (President and Chief Executive Officer)

Executive Committee of the Board of Directors

• Barry S. Smith, MD (Chair) ? American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Larry A. Green, MD (Chair-Elect) ? American Board of Family Medicine
• Anne-Marie Irani, MD (Secretary-Treasurer) ? American Board of Allergy & Immunology
• John C. Moorhead, MD, MS (Immediate Past Chair) ? American Board of Emergency Medicine
• Richard E. Hawkins, MD (President and Chief Executive Officer)
• Daniel J. Cole, MD ? American Board of Anesthesiology
• Randall K. Roenigk, MD ? American Board of Dermatology
• George D. Wendel, Jr., MD ? American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Eve M. Kurtin, PharmD, MBA ? ABMS Public Member

About ABMS
Established in 1933, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) continues to be the leading not-for-profit organization overseeing physician certification in the United States. ABMS establishes the standards its 24 Member Boards use to develop and implement educational and professional evaluation, assessment, and certification of physician specialists. More than 880,000 physicians are certified in one or more of the approved 39 specialties and 86 subspecialties offered by the ABMS Member Boards. For more information about ABMS, visit abms.org or call (312) 436-2600.

SOURCE American Board of Medical Specialties