Thank you for opening this issue of the ABPM’s newsletter!

It’s hard to believe that it’s already July; I hope your summer is off to a great start.

I’m pleased to report that the ABPM is enjoying another successful application cycle this year! As of June 20, the ABPM received over 1,000 applications in all specialties and subspecialties. This number includes applications for the ABPM’s newest subspecialty, Health Care Administration, Leadership, and Management (HALM), which we co-sponsor along with three other ABMS member boards. We are excited to offer our diplomates working in less traditional – but critical – physician roles the recognition they deserve through certification.

This summer we also will convene our six Longitudinal Assessment Program (LAP) Subcommittees. The Clinical Informatics LAP Subcommittee met in June, while the LAP Subcommittees for Addiction Medicine, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Public Health and General Preventive Medicine, and Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine meet this month and Aerospace Medicine meets in August. Each subcommittee is charged with developing the questions contained in the LAP for their respective specialty or subspecialty.

ABPM is incredibly grateful for the work of subcommittee members as they write, review, and revise each and every LAP question. Each subcommittee member is critical to the success of ABPM’s LAP. We strive to include physicians with diverse backgrounds, work experiences, and perspectives on the subcommittees to ensure that the LAP is relevant and instructive for all ABPM diplomates. If you’re interested in writing LAP questions, email us your CV at [email protected]. We’re excited to hear from you!

The members of the ABPM’s Board and Sub-Boards will also convene this summer in Chicago, when we’ll welcome our two newest members, Drs. Michele Soltis and Pamela Krahl, as observers. They’ll officially begin their terms immediately upon the conclusion of the August Board of Directors meeting. We’ll get to know our newest members in the next few issues of this newsletter.

Following the Board meeting in August, I will hand the gavel to ABPM’s next Chair, Dr. Heather O’Hara. I know Dr. O’Hara will not only carry on our current success but also lead ABPM to even greater heights.

Finally, as my term on the Board comes to a close, I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to my fellow Directors and the entire ABPM community for making my time on the Board and as Chair not only successful but also a true joy. This opportunity to serve has been one of my greatest professional honors. I am especially proud of our work on the new Continuing Certification Program. Thank YOU, ABPM diplomates, for both your overwhelming positive response and your participation following the launch of Phase 1 in 2023.

With gratitude,

Wendy E. Braund, MD, MPH, MSEd, FACPM