New Officers And Board Members Elected

doi:10.1370/afm.227

At its annual meeting, the American Board of Family Practice (ABFP) elected new officers to serve during the upcoming year. Each new officer has served as a Board member for at least 3 years in different capacities. Three new Board members were also selected at this meeting.

The Board of Directors is responsible for making policy for the ABFP. This effort includes setting quality standards for admission to the examinations, giving final approval of all questions on the examinations, and approving the pass-fail score for the examinations. With more than 70,000 current Diplomates, family medicine is the second largest medical specialty in the United States.

The ABFP Board of Directors consists of 15 members, including 10 family physicians. In addition, there are physicians from 5 other specialties, including internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics-gynocology and psychiatry-neurology. Each Board member serves a 5-year term and must be certified throughout their term on the Board.

Thomas E. Norris, MD, President

Dr. Norris is Vice Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Adjunct Professor in Biomedical Informatics (Medical Education), Medicine and Health Services.

“My background is in both the practice world and academic world. Due to this dual perspective, I can see the importance of the Board’s work from the standpoint of both the practicing physician and the academic physician. The public expects family doctors to practice family medicine of the highest quality with the highest levels of patient safety, while family physicians expect the ABFP to offer a certification/recertification program that is fair, practical, useful, and efficient. I am committed to meeting both of these goals.”

Thomas L. Schwenk, MD, Vice President

Dr. Schwenk is Professor and Chair of the Department of Family Medicine, University of Michigan.

“I have always valued the contributions of the ABFP Board in setting standards for the specialty and helping family physicians meet those standards. I look forward to using my clinical and academic experience in supporting and enhancing those critical activities. I have always tried to represent the values that define family practice, while dedicating my efforts to finding ways in which to improve the linkages between the academic and clinical worlds. In short, I want to work to improve the quality of family practice education and practice, so as to enhance the credibility and influence of the specialty.

I am particularly excited to be involved with the ABFP at a time when we are exploring new approaches to learning, evaluation, and certification. The Maintenance of Certification (MC-FP) process, while still controversial for some, represents a major advance in how we can help family physicians learn, as well as portray their skill and expertise to the public we all serve.”

Frank L. Kane, MD, Treasurer

Dr. Kane has been in private practice for 19 years and is a member of the Skylands Medical Group in Newton, NJ. He serves as a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Family Practice at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the New Jersey Medical School.

“I have always been passionate about family medicine. I began my training as a physician assistant before entering medical school. Eleven years after graduating, I became President of the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians, and my dedication to the specialty continued to intensify from there. I am honored to be part of a group that continues to maintain the high grade of qualifications established by the American Board of Family Practice and Dr. Nicholas J. Pisacano 35 years ago.”

Deborah G. Haynes, MD, Member-at-Large

Dr. Haynes devotes 95% of her professional time to her private practice with Preferred Medical Associates Northeast in Wichita, Kan. She is also Chair of the Board and serves as a clinical associate professor at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

“The ABFP has a rich history of commitment to academic integrity and excellence, and it has set the standard for time-limited certificates. The future of family practice depends on a strong foundation of teaching, clinical practice, and certification of our abilities. The founders of the family practice movement understood the need for physicians to practice medicine with both science and care. I look forward to continuing to carry out those principles.”

Ross Black II, MD, Board Member

Dr. Ross Black II maintains a full-time practice with Mill-pond Family Physicians, Inc, in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. He teaches residents from 3 family practice residency programs and is a clinical professor at Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine (NEOUCOM).

“When I was a resident in the early ‘70s, I was introduced to Dr. Nicholas Pisacano and his philosophy that certification and recertification examinations, along with standardized practice verification for all family physicians, would guarantee the future of the specialty. Also at that time, I was fortunate to be a part of the Residency Assistance Program (RAP) which helped establish the quality standards for residency programs that the specialty benefits from today.

I find it unique that my career has come full-circle. I am honored to work with others who are just as committed to Dr. Pisacano’s philosophy as I am. The challenges facing the ABFP today are no different than those faced by the Board in 1969. Once again, we find that the future of the specialty depends on the adherence to the highest standards and the delivery of the highest quality of health care.”

Elizabeth Ann Garrett, MD, MSPH, Board Member

Betsy Garrett is Professor of Clinical Family Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine. She is course director for the family medicine clerkship and serves on the faculty affairs council.

“I am delighted to have this opportunity and privilege to serve our patients and our discipline. This is a critical time in the history of the relationship between physicians and patients as national reports have underscored numerous problems with the health care system. To make the needed changes will require family physicians that are of the highest quality and committed to excellence and reflective practice. The ABFP works to help ensure that we meet these standards and fulfill our sacred trust.”

Russell R. Snyder, MD, Board Member

Dr. Snyder served for 21 years in the United States Air Force (USAF) and retired in 1997 as Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center. He serves as Associate Professor, Director and Chief, Division of Gynecology and Medical Director Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Tex.

“I am really thrilled to join the ABFP’s Board of Directors. I view the ABFP as an organization that is on the cutting edge of Maintenance of Certification and the integration of computer technology in the process of certification/recertification. I am honored to represent my specialty.”