78 Years of ABPM History
The American Board of Preventive Medicine, Inc., (ABPM) is a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties. ABPM originated from recommendations of a joint committee comprised of representatives from the Section of Preventive and Industrial Medicine and Public Health of the American Medical Association and the Committee on Professional Education of the American Public Health Association. The Board was incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware on June 29, 1948 as “The American Board of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Incorporated.”
In 1952 the name was changed to The American Board of Preventive Medicine, Inc. In February 1953, the Advisory Board of Medical Specialties and the Council on Medical Education and Hospitals of the American Medical Association authorized certification by the Board of preventive medicine specialists in Aviation Medicine (the name was changed to Aerospace Medicine in 1963); in June 1955, preventive medicine specialists in Occupational and Environmental Medicine; in November 1960, preventive medicine specialists in General Preventive Medicine; and in 1983, Public Health and General Preventive Medicine were combined into one specialty area of certification. In 1989 the American Board of Preventive Medicine was approved to offer a subspecialty certificate in Undersea Medicine (the name was changed to Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine in 1999), in 1992 a subspecialty certificate in Medical Toxicology, in 2010 a subspecialty certificate in Clinical Informatics, and in 2017 a subspecialty in Addiction Medicine.