News

Dr. David Stevenson

The American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) congratulates David Kendall Stevenson, MD, who has been named the 2019 John Howland Award recipient, the highest honor bestowed by the American Pediatric Society (APS).

“The award signifies the society’s recognition of Dr. Stevenson for his significant contributions to advancing academic pediatrics through clinical care, scientific discovery, mentorship, leadership, and service,” the APS announced. The award was presented April 28 during the 2019…

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The Federation of Pediatric Organizations (FOPO), of which the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) is a member, has released the following statement, affirming that the conclusions reached by the Continuing Board Certification: Vision for the Future Commission align with FOPO’s own recommendations for improvements in board certification. FOPO also expresses support for changes that the ABP already has made or is in the process of making.

FOPO statement (PDF)

Dr. F. Bruder Stapleton

Washington, DC — The Federation of Pediatric Organizations (FOPO) is delighted to name F. Bruder Stapleton MD, the 2019 recipient of the Joseph W. St. Geme, Jr. Leadership Award. Dr. Stapleton will receive the award on Saturday, April 27, 2019, at the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting’s Opening General Session in Baltimore, MD.

The Joseph W. St. Geme, Jr. Leadership Award was created in honor of Dr. St. Geme to recognize a pediatrician who is a role…

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The American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Saed Qunbar has been awarded the 2019 Graduate Student Research Award by the Association of Test Publishers (ATP). The award is given for his assessment recommender system, which could eventually be used to deliver certified pediatricians more relevant exam questions via the ABP’s new online, non-proctored assessment platform, MOCA-Peds (Maintenance of Certification…

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The 2018 Annual Report from the American Board of Pediatrics is now available. This issue focuses on the work of nearly 400 board-certified pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists who volunteer countless hours making the certification process work.

Featured articles include:

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Have you ever wondered who writes the certification exam questions for pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists? For that matter, who decides which topics are included in exams? And who decides what the passing score is?

The answer is pediatricians themselves who are maintaining their certification and who represent a variety of practice types, geographic locations, ages, races, and genders.

More than 400 board-certified pediatricians volunteer at the ABP. Fewer than 110 full-time staff members work for the ABP — and only five are physicians. Consequently, the responsibility for certifying that pediatricians are up to date and can competently care for children is in the…

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Dr. Anna Kuo

Anna Kuo, MD, started volunteering with the ABP nearly two decades ago when she was invited to submit two questions to be considered for the certification exam.

“A couple of months later, I received a letter from the ABP inviting me to join the Pilot Testing Committee. I guess I did OK!” laughs Dr. Kuo, a general pediatrician and 2019 Chair of the ABP Board of Directors.

Dr. Kuo is one of seven general pediatricians at Peachtree Park Pediatrics, one of the oldest pediatric practices in Atlanta.…

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Volunteers and ABP Staff Work Many Hours to Ensure Board Exams Reflect Knowledge Base Necessary for Practice

For many pediatricians, board certification is synonymous with examinations. For both initial certification and continuing certification, exams are a major component of assessing whether pediatricians have the knowledge that their peers have determined is essential for the safe practice of pediatrics.

But creating valid and reliable exams for General Pediatrics and 15 subspecialties — and then scoring them — is not as simple as it might seem. The test development and scoring processes are rigorous and the underlying science is complex, but ultimately, these methods…

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Pamela Simms-Mackey, MD, volunteers on both the ABP General Pediatrics Examination Committee and the Maintenance of Certification Committee.

“I think it’s important for the Board to have a wide range of physicians, with respect to ethnic background, age, practice setting, and geography, on its committees,” says Dr. Simms-Mackey, a general pediatrician practicing in Oakland, CA. “The diversity helps ABP volunteers create the tools that we use to assess and evaluate our physicians.”

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When seeking volunteers, the ABP is committed to including pediatricians from as many practice settings and types as possible so that the exams they write and policies they set will reflect the reality of modern pediatrics.

Therefore, raising awareness within the pediatric community regarding volunteer opportunities available at the ABP is a priority.

Dr. Rasheed Gbadegesin

"I consider it a unique privilege to be given the opportunity to have a say in the training of pediatricians and in ensuring…

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