David H. Johnson, MD, Named Chair of the American Board of Internal Medicine Board of Directors

July 01, 2013 (PRLEAP.COM) Health News
Philadelphia, PA, July 1, 2013 – David H. Johnson, MD, has been named Chair of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Board of Directors. Dr. Johnson, a noted expert on lung cancer, is the Donald W. Seldin Distinguished Chair in Internal Medicine and Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. The Board Chair term is for two years. ABIM sets the standards and certifies physicians practicing in internal medicine and its subspecialties that possess the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to provide high quality care.

Dr. Johnson becomes Chair of the Board as it is redefining the structure of its governance. To keep pace with the rate of change in health care, the ABIM Board of Directors will oversee the overall strategic direction of the organization and support efforts to make the certification credential relevant and valuable to the broader health care community and to all the internists who participate in it. The Board will work closely with the newly formed ABIM Council whose primary purpose is to ensure the quality, relevance and effectiveness of ABIM's programs in initial Certification and Maintenance of Certification.

The Board of Directors and Council are comprised of physicians who are board certified in internal medicine or one of its subspecialties, and who actively participate in Maintenance of Certification. Dr. Johnson is certified in both internal medicine and medical oncology and he completed Maintenance of Certification in Oncology in 2008. Previously, he served on the ABIM Subspecialty Board on Medical Oncology from 2001 to 2011 and chaired the Medical Oncology Board from 2007 to 2011.

"David wears so many hats in his leadership role at the University of Texas – a practicing oncologist, teacher, health system executive – and he can bring each of those perspectives to the table as we develop a forward-looking agenda for the work of ABIM," said Richard J. Baron, MD, ABIM's President and CEO. "We are in a critical time in health care as we move to a more continuous Maintenance of Certification program at ABIM. I look forward to partnering with David over the next two years to ensure that what we ask of physicians is relevant, rigorous and meaningful."

Maintenance of Certification recognizes that what was standard treatment a decade ago may have changed and that the public needs a process to know if their physicians are continuously engaging in lifelong learning and assessment.

"I am excited to take on this opportunity at a most challenging time for health care and for ABIM," said David H. Johnson, MD. "We have much to do to ensure and maintain the continued value of certification. I am looking forward to working with an outstanding Board of Directors, the newly formed Board Council and our new CEO, Dr. Rich Baron."

Dr. Johnson served on the Food and Drug Administration's Oncology Drug Advisory Committee, as Chairman of the Thoracic Committee of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group and on the Board of Directors of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer and the LiveSTRONG Foundation. While serving as the President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), he helped advance ASCO's quality of care activity known as the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative or QOPI®. He also led an effort to establish ASCO's Cancer Survivorship Program. Dr. Johnson has authored more than 350 peer reviewed journal articles and 40 book chapters and four oncology textbooks.

For media inquiries, contact Lorie Slass at 215-399-4005.

About ABIM
For 75 years, certification by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) has stood for the highest standard in internal medicine and its 19 subspecialties and has meant that internists have demonstrated – to their peers and to the public – that they have the clinical judgment, skills and attitudes essential for the delivery of excellent patient care. ABIM is not a membership society, but a non-profit, independent evaluation organization. Our accountability is both to the profession of medicine and to the public. ABIM is a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties. For additional updates, follow ABIM on Facebook and Twitter.