ABMS Appoints Richard Hawkins, MD, FACP as New Senior Vice President for Professional and Scientific Affairs
American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the organization overseeing the certification of physician specialists in the United States, has appointed Richard E. Hawkins, MD, FACP, senior vice president for professional and scientific affairs. Hawkins will assume his new duties Feb. 1, 2009. Along with his other responsibilities, Hawkins will provide leadership to ABMS and its various committees to help promote the science of ABMS Maintenance of Certification® and certification in context of advancing physician assessment programs.
EVANSTON, Ill. (PRWEB) December 12, 2008
For more than 20 years, Hawkins has been involved in various initiatives to assess and evaluate physician quality and competency. Currently, Hawkins is the vice president for assessment programs at the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) in Philadelphia – one of nine ABMS Associate Member Boards that partner with ABMS because they, too, focus on improving the quality of medical education and the physician accreditation process. In addition, Hawkins serves on the ABMS Committee on Oversight and Monitoring of Maintenance of Certification (COMMOC), which is responsible for receiving and reviewing reports from ABMS Member Boards about its MOC programs and confirms compliance with the MOC guidelines. The committee also provides recommendations and guidance to the Member Boards regarding program development and implementation.
"We are so pleased that Richard has joined our organization," said Kevin B. Weiss, MD, president and CEO of ABMS. "This is an exciting time at ABMS as we advance several new initiatives designed to improve the quality of U. S. healthcare. Through his work with NBME and serving on the ABMS COMMOC committee, Richard thoroughly understands the board certification landscape, MOC, and the ABMS mission," Weiss said.
Hawkins received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and completed his residency and internship at the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Va. He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in internal medicine with a subspecialty in infectious disease.
About ABMS
Now in its 75th year, American Board of Medical Specialties is the pre-eminent medical organization overseeing physician certification in the United States. It assists its 24 Member Boards in their efforts to develop and implement educational and professional standards for the evaluation and certification of physician specialists. ABMS Member Boards provide physician certification information to ABMS for its certification verification service programs. ABMS is recognized by the key healthcare credentialing accreditation entities as a primary equivalent source of board certification data for medical specialists. Patients can visit www. abms. org or call toll-free 1-866-ASK-ABMS to see if their physician is board certified by an ABMS Member Board. For more information about ABMS visit www. abms. org or call (847) 491-9091.
The 24 Member Boards that make up the ABMS Board Enterprise covers over 145 medical specialties and subspecialties include: American Board of Allergy and Immunology, American Board of Anesthesiology, American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery, American Board of Dermatology, American Board of Emergency Medicine, American Board of Family Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine, American Board of Medical Genetics, American Board of Neurological Surgery, American Board of Nuclear Medicine, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American Board of Ophthalmology, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, American Board of Otolaryngology, American Board of Pathology, American Board of Pediatrics American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, American Board of Plastic Surgery, American Board of Preventive Medicine, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, American Board of Radiology, American Board of Surgery, American Board of Thoracic Surgery, and American Board of Urology.
