News

Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) describe the routine and essential activities physicians perform in practice and help program directors determine when trainees can be trusted to perform these activities. Although scales (to determine if trainees can work unsupervised) for EPAs had been proposed, they had not been validated — until now. Two new studies, one involving fellows and the other involving general pediatric residents, shed light on the best uses of EPAs.

CREATING SUPERVISORY SCALES FOR PEDIATRIC FELLOWS

In a study led by Richard B. Mink, MD, MACM, and conducted by the Subspecialty Pediatrics Investigator Network (SPIN), researchers created…

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NEW ASSESSMENT FORMAT TO BECOME DEFAULT OPTION IN 2019 FOLLOWING SUCCESSFUL PILOT

The ABP gave its first examination — administered orally before a panel of three distinguished pediatricians — in June 1934. Since then, just as advances in medicine and technology have improved patient care, testing also has evolved, from oral to paper to computer-based exams.

Now, in response to pediatricians’ comments, and in keeping with modern assessment methods, the ABP has explored ways to make the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) exam better reflect current pediatric practice. The result is Maintenance of Certification Assessment for Pediatrics (MOCA-Peds) — a continuous web…

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“It will take years for medical education systems to improve the preparation of pediatricians to prevent and manage behavioral and mental health problems. But pediatricians do not need to wait until they are formally educated to begin addressing the epidemic now.”

— Dr. David Tayloe, Goldsboro (NC) Pediatrics

When David Tayloe Jr., MD, began practicing pediatrics in 1977, he did not have formal training about childhood behavioral and mental health issues. But when he realized that many of his patients needed help in these areas, he found resources to supplement his knowledge and ways to apply what he learned. It’s essential…

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Dr. Mark SchusterWashington, DC — The Federation of Pediatric Organizations (FOPO) is delighted to name Mark A. Schuster MD, PhD, FAAP, the 2018 recipient of the Joseph W. St. Geme, Jr. Leadership Award. Dr. Schuster will receive the award on Saturday, May 5, 2018, at the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting’s Opening General Session in Toronto, Canada.

The Joseph W. St. Geme, Jr. Leadership Award was created in honor of Dr. St. Geme to recognize a pediatrician who is a role model for others to emulate as a clinician, an…

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Suzanne K. Woods, MD, has been named Executive Vice President of the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP).

Dr. Woods joined the ABP staff on Jan. 1, 2018, as Vice President of Credentialing and Initial Certification. The ABP Board of Directors approved her additional role on Feb. 15. She succeeds Gail A. McGuinness, MD, who retired Dec. 31, 2017.

As Executive Vice President (EVP), Dr. Woods will provide redundancy for internal operations activities for the ABP President and CEO, David G. Nichols…

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The ABP extended a fond farewell in 2017 to Gail A. McGuinness, MD, and offers a warm welcome in 2018 to Suzanne K. Woods, MD.

Gail A. McGuinness, MD

Dr. McGuinness joined the ABP in 2002 as Senior Vice President for Examination Administration and Credentialing, responsible for exam administration, credentialing, oversight of the subboards, and new subspecialties. Also named Executive Vice President in 2006, she provided redundancy for internal operations activities for the President and CEO. In this role, she served as a voting member on the ABP Board of Directors and the ABP Foundation Board of Directors.

“Dr. McGuinness is an outstanding leader and well-…

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Pediatricians who enroll or re-enroll in Maintenance of Certification (MOC) with the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) may now choose to break up their fee into annual payments. Alternately, if they prefer, they may choose to pay the full five-year fee up front when they enroll in a new MOC cycle.

“Some board-certified pediatricians have asked for this, and we are pleased to accommodate them while still maintaining the previous method of paying fees” said Virginia Moyer, MD, MPH.

Dr. Moyer, ABP’s Vice President of MOC and Quality, said that many pediatricians have shared with the ABP their desire to use professional development funds they receive from the hospital or…

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Beginning in 2019, thanks to the work of more than 10,000 board-certified pediatrician volunteers, the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) will offer a new way to fulfill the MOC Part 3 (exam) requirement: the Maintenance of Certification Assessment for Pediatrics, or MOCA-Peds.

MOCA-Peds is an online, non-proctored assessment platform. With the help of those pediatrician volunteers, MOCA-Peds was launched as a pilot in January 2017.  The pilot will continue as the platform is refined in 2018 before it goes live in 2019.

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The American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) has selected Elizabeth (Cason) Benton, MD, to receive the 2018 Paul V. Miles (PVM) Fellowship Award, given annually to an accomplished mid-career pediatrician dedicated to improving the quality of health care for children. Dr. Benton is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and founding Director of the Alabama Child Health Improvement Alliance (ACHIA).

Dr. Benton’s strong interest in quality improvement (QI) grew after seeing QI projects improve care at UAB’s Primary Care Clinic, where she has been practicing since 1998 and served as medical director before becoming director of ACHIA in 2013.…

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The American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) congratulates Dr. Thomas F. Boat, who has been named 2018 John Howland Award recipient, the most prestigious award presented within the American Pediatric Society (APS).

Dr. Boat is Dean Emeritus of the College of Medicine at the University of Cincinnati, and Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and was chair of the ABP Board of Directors in 1994.

Dr. Boat began his volunteer work…

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