The American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) appointed Heather O’Hara, MD, MSPH, FACOEM to its Board of Directors.  Dr. O’Hara’s appointment will fill the vacant Specialty Member Director position for Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Dr. O’Hara currently serves as an Associate Professor of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Program Director for the Occupational and Environmental Medicine and Preventive Medicine residencies at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee.

Dr. O’Hara shared her background and what board certification means to her in our interview below.

How did you choose the specialties of Occupational & Environmental Medicine and Public Health & General Preventive Medicine? 

I do not think that it would be fair to say I chose either of the specialties, but rather they chose me.  I knew I wanted to focus on developing the patients’ ability to maintain health or become healthy, however I did not know that there were specialties that would directly provide this opportunity.  The Dean of Student and Academic Affairs when I was a fourth year medical student, Dr. Pamela Williams, knew of my interests in prevention and public health and encouraged my application to the General Preventive Medicine residency at Meharry Medical College.  If she had not intervened, I may have never found my passion and purpose.

What would you like to accomplish during your term on the Board?

First, I never imagined that I would be selected to serve on the Board.  I am extremely appreciative of the opportunity and the support that I have received thus far from the current and past Board members and staff.  I am continuing to define how I want to best serve the Diplomates in our specialty, but I definitely want to engage in activities that will support increased visibility to drive interested physicians into our specialty and advocate for the value of board certification.  I know that serving in this capacity is not going to be easy, but I am ready to overcome the challenges that will arise and be a better Diplomate because of this experience.

Why did you choose to become board-certified in Preventive Medicine, and what value do you think board certification provides for physicians?

Interesting story, when I was finishing residency, I was talking to a friend of mine who specialized in Internal Medicine and mentioned that I was preparing for the preventive board exam.  His response was probably one of several reasons why I was determined to become board-certified.  He said, “You guys get board certified?”  That question told me a lot that day.  While I am sure he meant nothing by it, the idea that I would have worked to gain residency training and not be able to become board certified, the premier way of identifying physicians who have mastered their specialty, was unbelievable.  I did not know until that moment that our specialty was thought of in this manner and I knew that I wanted to change that perspective.  I chose to do whatever needed to be done to achieve board certification because my training meant something to me and the possibilities were endless if I was able to become a Diplomate.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I am a wife and mother of two boys, CJ (4) and Caleb (2).  One of my greatest joys in the majority of my spare time is playing with and learning from these guys.  I also enjoy playing tennis, traveling with my family, and cooking new recipes.

Any other information you’d like to share with ABPM Diplomates?

I am excited to be here to serve as a member of the ABPM Board.  I look forward to working hard with the other members and preparing our specialty for the future.