ABIM Announces New Board and Council Members

Philadelphia, July 9, 2018 – Today, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) announced new appointments to its governance, including new members of the Board of Directors and Council.

M. Safwan Badr, MD, and Amy W. Williams, MD, joined the Board of Directors. Jeffrey S. Berns, MD, is now Chair of ABIM Council and Bruce A. Leff, MD, is Chair-Elect. George M. Abraham, MD; Ashok Balasubramanyam, MD; and Asher A. Tulsky, MD are new members of ABIM Council.

Both ABIM's Board of Directors and Council are comprised of physicians with a variety of practice experience as well as members of the healthcare team and public who provide important insights into what constitutes excellence in patient care. All physicians on ABIM governance participate in Maintenance of Certification (MOC), and all members collaborate across the medical community to set strategy, lead innovation in assessment methods and explore opportunities to enhance Certification and MOC.

"As medical knowledge changes rapidly and patients regularly seek health information online, board certification is even more valuable as an indication that doctors are staying current with the latest evidence to provide the best care possible to patients," said Richard J. Baron, MD, President and CEO of ABIM. "ABIM Board and Council members work to ensure that the credential is built on standards the public can trust while reflecting the medical community's input about what is meaningful in medical practice today."

The Board of Directors sets the future direction, strategy and goals for the organization, and develops and maintains important partnerships in the healthcare community.
New Board members announced today:

M. Safwan Badr, MD, is Professor and Chair of the Wayne State University School of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine. He is also a Professor of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, and a staff physician at the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit, Michigan.

Amy W. Williams, MD, is Chair of the Department of Medicine and faculty in the Division of Hypertension and Nephrology, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota; and Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine.

The ABIM Council, which includes ABIM Specialty Board chairs, designs policies and procedures for Certification and MOC with peers across all the specialties of internal medicine to ensure the quality, relevance and effectiveness of ABIM's programs.
New Council Members and Specialty Board Chairs:

Chair of the ABIM Council, Jeffrey S. Berns, MD, is Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics; Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education; Associate Chief of the Renal, Electrolyte, and Hypertension Division; and Nephrology Fellowship Program Director at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is also Chair of ABIM's Nephrology Board. Read a profile of Dr. Berns.

Chair-Elect of the ABIM Council, Bruce A. Leff, MD, is Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology in Baltimore, Maryland. He is the Director of the Center on Aging and Health Program in Geriatric Health Services Research, and the Co-Director of the Elder House Call Program. He is also Chair of ABIM's Geriatric Medicine Board. Read a profile of Dr. Leff.

Chair of the ABIM Infectious Disease Board, George M. Abraham, MD, is Professor of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Chief of Medicine at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Adjunct Professor at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Read a profile of Dr. Abraham.

Chair of the ABIM Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism Board, Ashok Balasubramanyam, MD, is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism at Baylor College of Medicine and Chief, Endocrine Service, at Ben Taub General Hospital in Houston, Texas. Read a profile of Dr. Balasubramanyam.

Chair of the ABIM Internal Medicine Board, Asher A. Tulsky, MD, is the Director of Resident Development at Boston Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts and Associate Professor of Medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine. Read a profile of Dr. Tulsky.

"I am honored to be stepping into a new leadership role on the ABIM Council and look forward to working alongside existing and new members to support physicians in their lifelong pursuit of knowledge," said Jeffrey S. Berns, MD, Chair of the ABIM Council. "During the coming year, new assessment options will expand across more disciplines of internal medicine and ABIM will recognize even more activities for MOC points."

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ABIM Board Certified Doctors Make a Difference
Internists and subspecialists who earn and maintain board certification from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) differentiate themselves every day through their specialized knowledge and commitment to continual learning in service of their patients. Established as an independent nonprofit more than 80 years ago, ABIM continues to be driven by doctors who want to achieve higher standards for better care in a rapidly changing world. Visit ABIM's blog to learn more and follow ABIM on Facebook and Twitter. ABIM is a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties.