Greetings and thank you for reading the latest issue of ABPM’s newsletter.
First and foremost, I and the entire ABPM Board of Directors extend our most sincere thanks to all of you for your dedication and hard work during the COVID-19 pandemic. We know first-hand that while most Americans are staying home with their families, you are heading out to the trenches every day fighting the spread of this virus. We applaud your sacrifice, are humbled by your tireless efforts and continue to keep you and your families in our thoughts during this difficult time.
Despite these challenging times, I see Preventive Medicine’s bright future: I am pleased to report that the cohort of Diplomates certified and re-certified in January 2020 represents the ABPM’s largest-ever class and includes over 1,200 physicians who have shown their commitment to quality, safety, and lifelong learning by achieving the highest standard of board certification through the ABPM. I’d like to congratulate all our new Diplomates who were Certified on January 1st as well as those Diplomates who recertified during calendar year 2019. I, along with the ABPM’s entire Board of Directors are proud to call them colleagues and fellow Diplomates.
At the end of January, the ABPM’s Board of Directors and Sub-Board Chairs met in my hometown, San Antonio, for the ABPM’s Annual meeting. We discussed many important topics that directly affect current and future Diplomates. Those topics included improving the pipelines for all Preventive Medicine Specialties, transitioning to a new and innovative Continuing Certification Program, developing a longitudinal assessment program, and updating the Public Health and General Preventive Medicine exam outline through this year’s planned practice analysis. There certainly is a lot of work ahead and I look forward to sharing updates with you throughout the remainder of this calendar year.
One of the most important decisions the Board made in January was the election of the ABPM’s first public member Director, George Roberts. Mr. Roberts, the CEO of the Northeast Texas Public Health District, has an impressive background that we are confident will allow him to provide a valuable perspective to the ABPM Board. Mr. Roberts will attend the ABPM’s mid-year meeting in August and his term will begin at the conclusion of that meeting.
On a related note, the ABPM is seeking to further expand its Board and has created a new At-Large Specialty Member Director position. The ABPM is currently accepting nominations so send us a message if you know someone who you think might be a solid candidate for this Director position – take a look at the position description and qualifications here.
Lastly, the ABPM is now on LinkedIn! Be sure to follow us; we will be sharing lots of information through our account and we’d love to connect with you!
On behalf of the Board and Staff of ABPM, I wish you and your families all good health and safety through these tough times.
All the best,
Hernando “Joe” Ortega, Jr., MD, MPH