Meet the Board: Joseph T. LaVan, MD, MPH

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.

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