Thank you for reading this issue of the ABPM’s newsletter! I’m very honored to be writing this to you as the new Chair of the ABPM Board of Directors, a role I stepped into after the Board’s Interim meeting in August 2021.
First, I’m very grateful for Dr. Joe Ortega’s leadership of the Board over the previous two years. During Dr. Ortega’s tenure, the Board accomplished a lot, including launching the Clinical Informatics Longitudinal Assessment Program (LAP) Pilot, extending the Addiction Medicine practice pathway and thus allowing many more qualified physicians to become certified, and successfully navigating 2020 remotely proctored exams and virtual meetings, to name just a handful. Dr. Ortega set us on a great path towards many more successes and I am fortunate to follow him as Chair at this exciting time.
I started my tenure on the Board in 2014 and I’ve seen the Board grow tremendously during that time. You can learn a little more about my background later in this issue but since I became a Director of the Board in 2014 my dedication to advocating for Preventive Medicine specialties and subspecialties and to the promoting the value of board certification has only increased. As a Public Health and General Preventive Medicine physician directly involved in improving health on a broad scale, I am passionate about the practice of Preventive Medicine and the necessity of growing Preventive Medicine specialties. While Preventive Medicine might be small compared to other Boards, it is no less important – as we’ve seen so powerfully recently during the pandemic.
Every day, ABPM Diplomates show the power of Preventive Medicine through their dedication to improve the health of populations small and large. For some examples ABPM recently shared via LinkedIn, scroll down – from working with public health departments to overcome vaccine hesitancy, to studying the rise in digital addictions, to advising the public on work/life balance, and so much more, ABPM Diplomates like you are the often-unsung heroes of Preventive Medicine. We’re so proud of all you’ve done and we’d like to share your accomplishments with the ABPM community and beyond! Let us know what you’re working on – drop us a line.
Thanks again for reading – I’m excited to embark on this journey with all of you.
Wishing you all the best,
Wendy E. Braund, MD, MPH, MSEd
Get the latest news and updates from the American Board of Preventive Medicine: sign up for our quarterly email newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/theabpm/newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn.
Wendy Braund, MD, MPH, MSEd, FACPM, stepped into the role of Chair of the Board following the Board meeting in August 2021. Learn more about Dr. Braund and what she hopes to achieve during her term.
Why did you get into medicine and how did you come to choose the specialty of Public Health and General Preventive Medicine?
I wanted to help people – in a different way than I was doing as a special education teacher and school counseler. And so, I started to revisit the desire to become a physicians that I had felt when I was much younger – and ended up a first-year medical student in my thirties! I discovered preventive medicine while reading a “how to get into residency” guide that I was reviewing for a medical society journal. The prevention and population health focus really appealed to me after caring for so many patients with preventable injuries and conditions as a neurosurgery resident.
What do you think the value of board certification is?
ABMS board certification connotes a physician’s competence in their specialty. Initial certification verifies successful residency completion and mastery of the knowledge, skills, and competencies needed to practice one’s medical specialty. Continuing certification confirms a diplomate’s currency and demonstrates a commitment to practice improvement.
What do you hope to accomplish during your tenure as Chair of the ABPM?
At the top of my list is establishing a longitudinal assessment platform that is responsive to our diplomates’ needs, provides high-quality assessment and learning opportunities, and satisfies ABMS requirements. Also very important: increasing the public profile and awareness among stakeholders (and “should be” stakeholders) about preventive medicine, its specialties and subspecialties, and all that we have to offer that will improve healthcare and public health systems, operations and, ultimately, the public’s health.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Mostly I hang out with my dog, Max, a border collie-Australian Shepherd rescue who makes sure I stay active! Also, I am a Washington Capitals season ticket holder, so the NHL hockey season keeps me busy nearly year-round.
Get the latest news and updates from the American Board of Preventive Medicine: sign up for our quarterly email newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/theabpm/newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn.
ABPM welcomes Dr. Joseph “Tim” LaVan as one of the newest Directors elected to the Board! He will begin his term immediately following the August 2021 meeting.
Dr. LaVan is a Command Flight Surgeon and Aeromedical Instructor at the School of Aviation Safety at the Naval Safety Center and a staff physician at the Naval Hospital in Pensacola. He is certified by ABPM in both Aerospace Medicine and Occupational and Environmental Medicine. He is also certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.
Read on to learn more about Dr. LaVan, his take on the value of board certification, and why he thinks Preventive Medicine is more important now than ever!
How did you get into the specialties of Aerospace Medicine and Occupational and Environmental Medicine?
I started my career in the Navy as a Flight Surgeon. Although my first residency and board certification was in Family Medicine, I never got away from the rewarding practice of aviation and occupational [and environmental] medicine with my assigned squadrons. When my career got to a point that I had the opportunity to return to more military focused medicine, I jumped at the chance and dove into the Navy’s Residency in Aerospace Medicine. After getting Board Certified in Aerospace, my first tour as the Senior Medical Officer on an Aircraft Carrier involved so much Occupational [and Environmental] Medicine that I was able to challenge the Occupational [and Environmental] Medicine boards by Special Pathway.
Why did you choose to become board certified in these specialties, and what do you think the value of board certification is?
One reason that I put the effort in to challenging Board Certification exams in both specialties was the opportunity to ensure myself that I had competencies in the full spectrum of the specialties. The effort to systematically prepare to challenge the exam forces the applicant to survey all areas of the specialty. I think this is part of the value of board certification. Residencies and Medical Practices inevitably have variations in areas of focus. Completing the requirements of Board Certification ensures that Diplomates maintain basic competencies in the full scope of the field, rather than just the areas they are most focused on.
What do you hope to accomplish during your time as a Director on the Board?
I think the events of the last one to two years have illustrated the value and the need for Preventive Medicine and its specialties. I hope that during my time on the Board, I will be able to help the specialties under Preventive Medicine continue to sustain and increase their relevance. I think that our specialties truly encompass the concepts of evidence-based medicine and we need to lead the way in providing evidence-based care to both individual patients and the population as a whole.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I enjoy cooking and woodworking, and I am an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction.
Any other information you’d like to share about yourself with ABPM Diplomates?
My favorite movie character is Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption.
Get the latest news and updates from the American Board of Preventive Medicine: sign up for our quarterly email newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/theabpm/newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn.
ABPM welcomes Dr. Joseph “Tim” LaVan as one of the newest Directors elected to the Board! He will begin his term immediately following the August 2021 meeting.
Dr. LaVan is a Command Flight Surgeon and Aeromedical Instructor at the School of Aviation Safety at the Naval Safety Center and a staff physician at the Naval Hospital in Pensacola. He is certified by ABPM in both Aerospace Medicine and Occupational and Environmental Medicine. He is also certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.
Read on to learn more about Dr. LaVan, his take on the value of board certification, and why he thinks Preventive Medicine is more important now than ever!
How did you get into the specialties of Aerospace Medicine and Occupational and Environmental Medicine?
I started my career in the Navy as a Flight Surgeon. Although my first residency and board certification was in Family Medicine, I never got away from the rewarding practice of aviation and occupational [and environmental] medicine with my assigned squadrons. When my career got to a point that I had the opportunity to return to more military focused medicine, I jumped at the chance and dove into the Navy’s Residency in Aerospace Medicine. After getting Board Certified in Aerospace, my first tour as the Senior Medical Officer on an Aircraft Carrier involved so much Occupational [and Environmental] Medicine that I was able to challenge the Occupational [and Environmental] Medicine boards by Special Pathway.
Why did you choose to become board certified in these specialties, and what do you think the value of board certification is?
One reason that I put the effort in to challenging Board Certification exams in both specialties was the opportunity to ensure myself that I had competencies in the full spectrum of the specialties. The effort to systematically prepare to challenge the exam forces the applicant to survey all areas of the specialty. I think this is part of the value of board certification. Residencies and Medical Practices inevitably have variations in areas of focus. Completing the requirements of Board Certification ensures that Diplomates maintain basic competencies in the full scope of the field, rather than just the areas they are most focused on.
What do you hope to accomplish during your time as a Director on the Board?
I think the events of the last one to two years have illustrated the value and the need for Preventive Medicine and its specialties. I hope that during my time on the Board, I will be able to help the specialties under Preventive Medicine continue to sustain and increase their relevance. I think that our specialties truly encompass the concepts of evidence-based medicine and we need to lead the way in providing evidence-based care to both individual patients and the population as a whole.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I enjoy cooking and woodworking, and I am an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction.
Any other information you’d like to share about yourself with ABPM Diplomates?
My favorite movie character is Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption.
Get the latest news and updates from the American Board of Preventive Medicine: sign up for our quarterly email newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/theabpm/newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn.
John D. Meyer, MD, MPH is one of the newest members of the Board of Directors, elected to the Board at its January 2021 meeting. He will begin his term immediately following the August 2021 Board of Directors Meeting.
Dr. Meyer is Professor and Interim Chief of the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and Director of the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York; the Director of the New York – New Jersey Occupational Safety & Health Center; an attending physician at the Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health at Mount Sinai Hospital; and the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.
He is certified by the ABPM in both Occupational & Environmental Medicine and Public Health & General Preventive Medicine.
He took some time to tell us a bit about himself, including his journey to Preventive Medicine, the importance of board certification, and more!
How did you get into the specialties of Occupational and Environmental Medicine & Public Health and General Preventive Medicine?
Similar to many others in the specialty, a very long and tortuous road. My original training was in ob/gyn and surgery, and when I moved out of those, I worked in student health for Boston University, who were willing to pay for an MPH degree while I worked there. Thinking I was headed into health care administration, I instead became fascinated with the environmental and occupational courses I took, along with those in epidemiology. When I was close to finishing, some of the faculty in the program pointed out to me that I could return to residency and train in, and make a career in occupational [and envrionmental] medicine and take that fascination with me into practice. So I returned to residency in [Occupational and Environmental Medicine] and haven’t looked back since. I think because of my somewhat unusual road to training, with the MPH before the clinical training, I’ve always looked at [Occupational and Environmental Medicine] and [General Preventive Medicine] first and foremost as public health specialties and tried to use (and teach) the tools of public health practice.
Why did you choose to become board certified in these specialties, and what do you think the value of board certification is?
I think that board certification is a way of demonstrating to yourself, as well as to the larger world, that you have achieved mastery of a subject area. That was certainly my feeling on qualifying in [Occupational and Environmental Medicine]. I subsequently (11 years after my [Occupational and Environmental Medicine] Boards) took the [Public Health and General Preventive Medicine] Boards for much the same reason. I was teaching clinical epidemiology and evidence-based medicine to medical students at the time and there was talk of establishing a [General Preventive Medicine] residency – so I wanted to demonstrate that I had the mastery and knowledge base in the field to move forward on those fronts. There is value in gaining those credentials, I think, in order to demonstrate to the public as well as colleagues that one has developed expertise in the field, as well as sharing in a specialty’s definition of its field and scope of practice. The tricky part, of course, is to determine what the shared knowledge is for any field, as I’ll go into further below.
What do you hope to accomplish during your time as a Director on the Board?
Most of my career I’ve been involved in residency training and teaching relevant subjects in MPH courses, as well as developing and leading board review courses for trainees coming into the field and those needing to recertify. This has led me to consider questions of how practice skills and new material are assimilated by trainees and updated by physicians in practice. This is a particularly important time to address these questions, as specialty boards and certification bodies move from narrow assessments such as the high-stakes exam, and into mechanisms that promote continuous learning and updating of knowledge throughout a career. My goal as an ABPM Director will be to help move the specialty into new methods and programs that promote ongoing learning and practice informed by the most current information available, in order to ensure the capacity of practitioners to address current and future challenges that arise within preventive medicine and within the larger society.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Growing up for the most part in Syracuse (where there are two seasons: Winter and the Fourth of July), my affinity has been for that region’s outdoor activities. Cross-country skiing is a particular favorite; I’ve also been blessed with a high-school age daughter interested in both downhill skiing (which I took up again with her after a long hiatus) and lacrosse, in which we can engage together.There’s a shared interest between my wife and I in the 19th century, which means that vacations are always focused on exploration of old factories and old churches. And just try prying me loose from any used bookstore…
Any other information you’d like to share about yourself with ABPM Diplomates?
Like most people in this field, I feel very lucky to have come by it, even if it took some time to get there. Many probably feel as I do that [Occupational and Environmental Medicine], [Preventive Medicine] and public health have been the ideal combination of clinical medicine with an interest in other facets of the world that one never saw in the hospital or clinic, such as how most of the world does its work and how medicine and the larger society intersect. The fact that we find this field fascinating probably helps contribute to our goal of continous learning as practitioners. I also want to add a pitch to the ABPM Diplomates to consider the role of mentors who guided them in their early career and to pick up the work that those people did in mentoring for the benefit of trainees and new practitioners in the specialty.
Get the latest news and updates from the American Board of Preventive Medicine: sign up for our quarterly email newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/theabpm/newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn.
The ABPM is excited to announce the election of the first At-Large Specialty Director to its Board in January 2021. Joanna Nelms, MD, MPH will assume this position immediately following the August 2021 Board of Directors meeting.
Dr. Nelms is certified by ABPM in both Aerospace Medicine and Occupational and Environmental Medicine. She earned her medical degree at Texas A & M University and her Masters in Public Health Management at Wright State University. She completed an Aerospace Medicine residency at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. She is currently the Chief of Flight Medicine and Physical Standards at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas.
We asked Dr. Nelms some questions to get to know her better. Read on to learn more about Dr. Nelms’ background, interests, and what board certification means to her!
How did you get into the specialties of Aerospace Medicine and Occupational and Environmental Medicine?
Like many in the fields of Aerospace and Occupational [and Environmental] Medicine – especially those who found our ways there through military service – my becoming a flight surgeon and occ doc were quite accidental. Upon matriculation from medical school, I was dead set on a career in plastic and reconstructive surgery, specifically focusing on burn reconstruction. After being informed that this was not conducive to the current “needs of the USAF” and was strongly encouraged to reconsider my path. After an intern year as a general surgeon, I opted to complete my service commitment as a general medical officer (GMO) flight surgeon, practicing both aerospace and occupational primary care medicine. It was through this time that I truly fell in love with the operational and practical aspects of these fields – especially Aerospace Medicine. When the time presented for me to have a chance to attend the USAF Residency of Aerospace Medicine, I jumped at that opportunity.
Why did you choose to become board certified in these specialties, and what do you think the value of board certification is?
Board certification in Aerospace Medicine was a double bonus as an active military member as it is both an actively changing and functional field of military medicine and the residency is typically a marker for those who want to pursue more leadership roles within medicine. I knew going in that with my prior work in an occuatpional medicine capacity that it would be possible for me to challenge the occupational and environmental medicine board following completion of my residency. Knowing that one day I would become a civilian and that civilian aerospace medicine jobs are slim, I wanted a broader certification base to work from. Board certification is important in all fields of medicine, but I think especially so in the preventive medicine specialties as we are numerically small and often underrepresented in the greater medical forum. Board certification servies as a communicator to other physicians and professionals not only of the legitimacy of our fields of medicine but also provides an expectation to be upheld of professional competence and excellence.
What do you hope to accomplish during your time as a Director of the Board?
I am excited for the opportunity to help shape the future of not only the popularity of the preventive medical fields but also the availability and quality of information disseminated at the medical school (and even lower) levels of recruitment and education. In addition, I hope to be part of the positive change already in motion as we strive to create meaningful and useful maintenance of certification.
What do you enjoy in your spare time?
We have just recently welcomed our second child at the end of April and have a boisterous five-year-old boy. My family are, by far, my favorite thing! For fun, I enjoy cooking and some baking. I collect cookbooks and wine. I enjoy landscaping and decorating our home as well as other outdoor activities when the Texas heat and humidity allow.
Any other information you’d like to share about yourself with ABPM Diplomates?
Only that I am excited to be here and ready for the ride!
John D. Meyer, MD, MPH is one of the newest members of the Board of Directors, elected to the Board at its January 2021 meeting. He will begin his term immediately following the August 2021 Board of Directors Meeting.
Dr. Meyer is Professor and Interim Chief of the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and Director of the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York; the Director of the New York – New Jersey Occupational Safety & Health Center; an attending physician at the Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health at Mount Sinai Hospital; and the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.
He is certified by the ABPM in both Occupational & Environmental Medicine and Public Health & General Preventive Medicine.
He took some time to tell us a bit about himself, including his journey to Preventive Medicine, the importance of board certification, and more!
How did you get into the specialties of Occupational and Environmental Medicine & Public Health and General Preventive Medicine?
Similar to many others in the specialty, a very long and tortuous road. My original training was in ob/gyn and surgery, and when I moved out of those, I worked in student health for Boston University, who were willing to pay for an MPH degree while I worked there. Thinking I was headed into health care administration, I instead became fascinated with the environmental and occupational courses I took, along with those in epidemiology. When I was close to finishing, some of the faculty in the program pointed out to me that I could return to residency and train in, and make a career in occupational [and envrionmental] medicine and take that fascination with me into practice. So I returned to residency in [Occupational and Environmental Medicine] and haven’t looked back since. I think because of my somewhat unusual road to training, with the MPH before the clinical training, I’ve always looked at [Occupational and Environmental Medicine] and [General Preventive Medicine] first and foremost as public health specialties and tried to use (and teach) the tools of public health practice.
Why did you choose to become board certified in these specialties, and what do you think the value of board certification is?
I think that board certification is a way of demonstrating to yourself, as well as to the larger world, that you have achieved mastery of a subject area. That was certainly my feeling on qualifying in [Occupational and Environmental Medicine]. I subsequently (11 years after my [Occupational and Environmental Medicine] Boards) took the [Public Health and General Preventive Medicine] Boards for much the same reason. I was teaching clinical epidemiology and evidence-based medicine to medical students at the time and there was talk of establishing a [General Preventive Medicine] residency – so I wanted to demonstrate that I had the mastery and knowledge base in the field to move forward on those fronts. There is value in gaining those credentials, I think, in order to demonstrate to the public as well as colleagues that one has developed expertise in the field, as well as sharing in a specialty’s definition of its field and scope of practice. The tricky part, of course, is to determine what the shared knowledge is for any field, as I’ll go into further below.
What do you hope to accomplish during your time as a Director on the Board?
Most of my career I’ve been involved in residency training and teaching relevant subjects in MPH courses, as well as developing and leading board review courses for trainees coming into the field and those needing to recertify. This has led me to consider questions of how practice skills and new material are assimilated by trainees and updated by physicians in practice. This is a particularly important time to address these questions, as specialty boards and certification bodies move from narrow assessments such as the high-stakes exam, and into mechanisms that promote continuous learning and updating of knowledge throughout a career. My goal as an ABPM Director will be to help move the specialty into new methods and programs that promote ongoing learning and practice informed by the most current information available, in order to ensure the capacity of practitioners to address current and future challenges that arise within preventive medicine and within the larger society.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Growing up for the most part in Syracuse (where there are two seasons: Winter and the Fourth of July), my affinity has been for that region’s outdoor activities. Cross-country skiing is a particular favorite; I’ve also been blessed with a high-school age daughter interested in both downhill skiing (which I took up again with her after a long hiatus) and lacrosse, in which we can engage together.There’s a shared interest between my wife and I in the 19th century, which means that vacations are always focused on exploration of old factories and old churches. And just try prying me loose from any used bookstore…
Any other information you’d like to share about yourself with ABPM Diplomates?
Like most people in this field, I feel very lucky to have come by it, even if it took some time to get there. Many probably feel as I do that [Occupational and Environmental Medicine], [Preventive Medicine] and public health have been the ideal combination of clinical medicine with an interest in other facets of the world that one never saw in the hospital or clinic, such as how most of the world does its work and how medicine and the larger society intersect. The fact that we find this field fascinating probably helps contribute to our goal of continous learning as practitioners. I also want to add a pitch to the ABPM Diplomates to consider the role of mentors who guided them in their early career and to pick up the work that those people did in mentoring for the benefit of trainees and new practitioners in the specialty.
Get the latest news and updates from the American Board of Preventive Medicine: sign up for our quarterly email newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/theabpm/newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn.
Greetings and best wishes from all of us at ABPM for a wonderful summer, hopefully spent traveling, enjoying time with friends and family, and doing all the things you’ve missed out on this past year!
I am looking forward to gathering in person with Directors and Staff of ABPM at the interim Board meeting next month in Chicago. It’s been two years since all of us have gotten together, and I am so grateful that I will be able to finish my tenure on the Board by seeing everyone in real life!
During my tenure as a Board member, I’ve seen the ABPM grow immensely: adding the subspecialties of Clinical Informatics and Addiction Medicine and welcoming thousands of new Diplomates. I’ve also seen a vast improvement in ABPM’s technological infrastructure.
I’d like to thank my predecessors, Drs. Denece Kesler and Tonette Krousel-Wood for setting ABPM on the pathway to modernization and expansion. I’d especially like to thank the ABPM’s Executive Director, Christopher Ondrula, JD, who has been an invaluable partner, improving Board processes, responding to the COVID-19 pandemic for our diplomates, overseeing the transition from the previous MOC program to a continuing certification program that is compliant with ABMS standards, and implementing innovative programs like the Clinical Informatics longitudinal assessment program (LAP) pilot. His work ethic and ability to develop and present options has kept your Board moving forward despite multiple challenges.
I’d also like to thank ABPM’s Chair-Elect, Dr. Wendy Braund, for her support and engagement. I’m pleased to pass the reins to her capable hands! You can read more about Dr. Braund’s work and recent accomplishments at https://www.abpm-us.org/2021/02/03/abpm-chair-elect-appointed-as-interim-acting-physician-general-of-pennsylvania/.
This issue of your ABPM newsletter is chock full of updates on the Board. We’re very excited to welcome three newly elected Board members who will be guests at the ABPM’s Board of Directors meeting in August. Their terms will begin immediately following the meeting. Read more about each of them below!
We are also seeking nominations for qualified physicians to fill two very important roles on the Board: a representative of the Public Health and General Preventive Medicine specialty and the Sub-board Chair for Clinical Informatics. Learn about the qualifications for these roles and how to nominate yourself or someone else in this issue!
Be sure to keep reading for a link to the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) draft standards for continuing certification. The draft standards define the “rules” that all ABMS member boards (including the ABPM) must abide by in their own continuing certification programs. I urge all of you to review the draft standards and send your feedback to ABMS. Your perspective is critical because the standards ABMS sets in place will ultimately shape ABPM’s continuing certification program. We need all of you to make your opinion on continuing certification count!
Lastly, we’re sharing an update on the Clinical Informatics longitudinal assessment program (LAP) pilot, which was launched April 1, 2021. We’re pleased with the participation so far in this new and innovative program. Thank you to our Clinical Informatics diplomates for being the guinea pigs and for engaging in this important endeavor!
I’d like to close by expressing again my sincere gratitude to the Board and the Staff of ABPM, many of whom have become friends during my nine-year stint here. It’s bittersweet to be leaving this Board, but I’m certain that ABPM has a bright future, confident of its continued upward trajectory. I wish all the best to my friends and colleagues – ‘til we meet again! Godspeed ABPM.
Happy Spring to all our colleagues and friends! We are hopeful that the beginning of 2021 portends good things to come for the rest of the year!
I am pleased to announce that today the ABPM launched one of its most exciting initiatives yet: the Longitudinal Assessment Program (LAP) pilot for Clinical Informatics. All Diplomates currently Certified by the ABPM in Clinical Informatics will participate in this two-year pilot, providing feedback and data that will play a critical role in shaping the final LAP that ABPM implements. This initiative is a key step towards fielding the ABPM’s innovative Continuing Certification Program (CCP), due to roll out in 2024 for all Diplomates. We invite you to learn more about the pilot at https://www.abpm-us.org/longitudinal-assessment-program-lap-pilot/.
I am also excited to announce the election of three new Directors to our Board! Joanna “Booster” Nelms, MD, MPH, will join the Board as the ABPM’s first At-Large Member, initiated specifically to provide recent diplomate perspectives. Dr. Nelms is certified in both Aerospace Medicine and Occupational and Environmental Medicine. John D. Meyer, MD, MPH, certified in Occupational and Environmental Medicine and Public Health and General Preventive Medicine, will be our newest representative for the specialty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Finally, Joseph “Tim” LaVan, MD, MPH will join the Board representing the specialty of Aerospace Medicine. He is currently certified in Aerospace Medicine and Occupational and Environmental Medicine. All three will begin their terms immediately following the August 2021 ABPM Board of Directors meeting. You can read more about all three of our newest Directors in this newsletter.
Although I’m admittedly a bit biased, Drs. Nelms, Meyer, and LaVan are joining an illustrious lot of physicians who have served our specialties on your Board. For example, we recently celebrated significant career achievements of current Board member, Wendy Braund, MD, MPH, MSEd, FACPM, and former Board member Susan Northrup, MD, MPH. Dr. Braund (also ABPM’s Chair-Elect) was recently named Interim Acting Physician General of Pennsylvania. Dr. Northrup, who served on the Board from 2007 through 2016, took up the position of U.S. Federal Air Surgeon for the Federal Aviation Administration. Congratulations, Dr. Braund and Dr. Northrup!
Beyond the Board, we recognize that ABPM Diplomates across the nation have accomplished amazing things, and particularly during the current pandemic. Take a good hard look at the “Highlights from ABPM’s LinkedIn Page” section of this issue for a bit of inspiration. We’d love to highlight your stories and accomplishments to our peers as well – you can send them to us.
As always, thank you for all your dedicated work in our fantastic specialty of Preventive Medicine, and thanks for reading. And as things “loosen up,” here’s to a wonderful Spring!
ABPM is excited to welcome Mr. George Roberts, ABPM’s first-ever Public Member on the Board of Directors. Mr. Roberts officially began his service on the Board after the Summer 2020 Board meeting and recently took some time to tell us a little about himself.
What is your professional background? I have over 40 years of health care experience, the majority of which was spent in Hospital Administration having previously served as Administrative Resident and Assistant Vice President at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, TX; Vice President at Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler, TX; and Chief Executive Officer at Henderson Memorial Hospital in Henderson, TX. I began my work in Public Health as CEO of the Northeast Texas Public Health District in 2006.
I received my Bachelor of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX and my Master of Health Administration from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO.
I have had the privilege of serving on a number of church, community, state, and national boards. Most recently, I served as President of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Board of Directors.
How did you become interested in Preventive Medicine and the work of ABPM?
This medical specialty fascinates me as it intersects my professional background in the world of Hospital Administration and Public Health. I have witnessed the vast sums of money being spent in sick care but a very small percentage of the health care dollar being expended to prevent illness. As Americans, we spend more on health care than any country in the world. Yet, our health indicators rank us “in the middle of the pack” in comparison to other nations in the world. By focusing on health, not just health care, perhaps we can improve our nation’s health status.
What would you like to accomplish during your time on the ABPM’s Board of Directors?
Preventive Medicine Specialists offer solutions as they can speak to their patients and emphasize taking those steps of preventing illness and promoting health. Ultimately, I am hopeful that my service to the American Board of Preventive Medicine can help to assure that there are qualified practitioners in the field and that more individuals will be drawn to this specialty in the future.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I am fortunate to have a great family which includes my wife, Leslie, and my children Claire and Travis. We enjoy traveling and we are also big baseball fans, primarily of the Texas Rangers. One of my bucket list items is to attend a major league baseball game in every baseball stadium in the United States. At this point, I have seen a game in 27 of the 30 major league baseball stadiums.
Any other information you’d like to share about yourself with ABPM Diplomates?
I am very excited to be able to serve as the first Public Member of the American Board of Preventive Medicine, and I look forward to working with the Board and staff to help grow the organization in the days ahead.
