2024 -2025 Annual Report

Building on Success & Shaping the Future Annual Report 2024-2025

Contents This program report highlights the progress made during 2024–2025.

ABPS staff collaborates with outstanding physician leaders, volunteers and subject matter experts to move the organization forward. These efforts result in the advancement of ABPS Member Boards.

A Letter from the President A Look Ahead Thank You Year in Review Awards Governance & Staff

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2024-2025 AN N UAL R EP O RT

HELP YOUR BOARD

and Earn an Exam Waiver Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) play an important role in the exam development process and help us achieve test development goals.

ABPS recently implemented a new policy that rewards SMEs who participate in exam development activities over the course of their 8-year certification period with a waiver of the examination for recertification.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

certification@abpsus.org

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A LETTER FRO M TH E PRESI D ENT Dear Fellow Diplomates,

foster leaders for tomorrow; ones that are committed to the

I have spent over two decades in

as the leaders in medicine.

service of our organization as a

organization’s growth and mission, while developing themselves

Subject Matter Expert, the past five

Our CEO, certification team and physician leaders have worked

and the past twelve months

greater opportunity with continued competency in board

your President.

Diplomates have spent countless hours volunteering as Subject

Over the years I have watched

homes. Through a new program developed by me, our CEO, and

years on the Executive Committee

tirelessly to streamline our certification processes, providing

having the privilege of being

certification. Through the use of technology, many of your fellow

the continuous evolution of ABPS, but none as great as we have

seen in the last five years. Under

the leadership of our CEO, working with our Government Affairs Strategist and advisor, our growth and recognition efforts

continue to reach new heights, with more state leadership,

regulatory bodies and federal agencies working with us to ensure patient access to care. We have launched a new media relations

Matter Experts, without having to leave the comfort of their

the Certification team, the SME's efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Doctors who have participated actively in various exam

development activities during their recertification cycle can now

obtain credit towards their recertification. The continued invested involvement of our SME's ensures that we have the highest

standards in physician board certification that meet the needs of 21st century medicine.

campaign in support of our external affairs efforts – building

Working with our CEO Jeff Morris, JD, our Executive Committee and

board certification but an absolute need in 21st century care,

and to have you be part of that. Please always ask your board

greater awareness of ABPS not only as a choice in physician

ABPS Board of Directors, our wish is to foster greater leadership

especially in the rural areas of our country and in support

leaders how you too can be a part of the future of ABPS.

of our military.

Being part of this organization and its leadership has been an

We have exponentially grown program fellowship partnerships

honor, one I hope that many of you will take the opportunity to

answering the true needs of 21st century care that ensures

President and I look forward to watching our continued success

in emergency medicine and in family medicine obstetrics –

be a part of. I sincerely thank you all for allowing me to be your

greater patient access to physician care. Our boards of

and growth. This has been one amazing year!

certification are essential to meet the needs of patient access to quality care and we are successfully and continuously working

Sincerely Yours,

to expand our efforts. Despite ABMS claims, many rural or

critical access hospitals, such as the one I just retired from, are

staffed by both family medicine physicians practicing obstetrics and emergency medicine physicians who are our Diplomates providing expert care.

As we continue to grow, we are even more committed to the

new organizational structure implemented two years ago and are completing the new charter and bylaws that have helped to finalize this transition. This very path has led to stronger

leadership, and a stronger ABPS. Together we are working to

Sarah E. Gilbert, MD, FAAEP

2024-2025 AN N UAL R EP O RT

A LOO K AH EAD Dear Diplomates,

Over the past year, our certification

The past year has brought its normal challenges, but most of

to assist in the building of new

all, it has brought multiple opportunities. These opportunities

lie mostly within our growth and recognition, not only before the medical community but before legislators both at federal and state levels.

Thanks to the continued dedication and hard work of our ABPS team, influencers and decision makers at the highest levels of

hospital organizations, federal agencies and legislators recognize the impact ABPS has on 21st century medicine. More often than

not, these decision makers have been seeking out our expertise and guidance on specialty certification and patient access to care.

Our government affairs team has been closely working with physician leadership to assist state surgeon generals in

improving patient access to care through the development of

a family medicine obstetrics medical center model established

by one of our very own, Dr. William Rodney. Additionally, we have been assisting multiple congressional committees to break

down the barriers to physician care by building awareness of the damage the monopoly has wrought upon patient access. All of these efforts can also be seen in the recent media coverage of

ABPS and interest of mainstream press who are, more than ever,

looking into how monopolies and bureaucracies in medicine are impeding patient access to quality physician care.

team has been working tirelessly boards of certification sorely

needed for 21st century medicine.

Areas that include gastrointestinal endoscopy and the cutaneous

oncology and Mohs micrographic surgery specialties are in the

process of being developed by leading experts in the country.

In addition, outside organizations have begun to approach us to open discussions on the

possibilities of coming under the ABPS umbrella. All of this is

thanks to the diligent work of our team to increase recognition of our boards of certification.

Working as a team and the nurturing of the ABPS family culture is what has allowed us to succeed in such a positive way. None of

this is possible without the dedication we all have to one another and to our great organization. Physician participation and

leadership have been key to this success. As we move forward, we encourage all to participate and become subject matter experts and part of our leadership.

Thank you for your continued support of ABPS.

Our marketing team continues to attend key conferences that

have increased recognition of our boards of certification, while

simultaneously growing the interest of recruiters who now include our ABPS boards in their outreach efforts. The team’s efforts have resulted in increased traffic to the ABPS website and the growth of multiple key relationships. Our Tampa team’s close work with one another has enabled an easy workflow and coordination between departments.

Jeff Morris, JD, Chief Executive Officer

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THAN K YOU TO OU R

Thank you to all of our Diplomates who volunteered in 2024!

Maintaining our rigorous board certification standards and strengthening the role of ABPS in the healthcare community would not be possible without your unparalleled dedication.

2024-2025 AN N UAL R EP O RT

Social Media ABPS uses LinkedIn, Instagram, X, and Facebook to connect with and educate healthcare leaders, decision makers, physicians, and patients.

Stay Informed & Connected!

@abps

@the_abps

@abps_aaps

@abps1960

Scan to Stay Connected

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Year in Review ABPS Secures Internal & Integrative Medicine Advertising Policy in Texas The Texas Medical Board approved ABPS Board of Certification in Integrative Medicine (ABOIM) and Board of Certification in Internal Medicine (BCIM) applications for the Medical Board’s recognition for purposes of advertising in Texas, pursuant to Board Rule §164.4.

This decision grants our ABOIM and BCIM Diplomates the ability to advertise their board certification in Texas, reinforcing the value of our certification. Recognition by the Texas Medical Board is a crucial step forward for both the integrative and internal medicine boards.

This significant achievement was made possible by our external affairs team and your generous donations to the National Initiative Fund (NIF).

2024 ABPS Leadership Meeting In June 2024, representatives from the ABPS Board of Directors, Certification Council, and other ABPS committees met in Tampa, FL, for two productive days of business meetings and leadership training focused on setting up the organization for future success. We would like to thank everyone who attended for their dedication and contributions.

New Degree of Fellow Requirements AAPS Degree of Fellow requirements have been updated to reflect recent organizational changes. The Degree of Fellow is awarded

by AAPS Academies of Medicine to recognize Academy members for merit and outstanding accomplishments in the specialty or outstanding service to the Academy.

National Initiative Fund (NIF) Now Accepting Monthly Donations Online We’re pleased to introduce a new feature to our online donation platform—monthly giving. You can now set up recurring donations to provide ongoing support for our mission effortlessly.

This option allows you to make a lasting impact with a contribution that fits your budget, ensuring sustained support for NIF.

2024-2025 AN N UAL R EP O RT

New Feature on the Recognition Toolkit: Upload Your Organization’s Bylaws We’re excited to introduce a new toolkit feature that allows Diplomates to upload their organization's bylaws that recognize ABPS. This powerful addition helps build a growing database of organizations that accept ABPS while enabling Diplomates and leaders to access and share this important information.

By uploading your bylaws, you contribute to a comprehensive resource that supports transparency and collaboration within the community.

Fellowship Update The American Academy of Emergency Physicians (AAEP) recognizes select fellowships that meet rigorous training standards, allowing physicians to demonstrate expertise in the field. Currently, AAEP acknowledges 13 programs nationwide with 2 new program applications in progress and continues to receive inquiries about program establishment and recognition.

Similarly, the Board of Certification in Family Medicine Obstetrics (BCFMO) oversees a fellowship recognition program, currently recognizing 64 programs. Interest in BCFMO recognition has grown significantly among both physicians and institutions.

Completion of these fellowships, along with meeting additional eligibility requirements, enables fellows to apply for board certification.

The success of these specialized programs has played a key role in the organization's expansion.

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Building Brand Awareness

WEBSITE PERFORMANCE

ABPS representatives have been actively participating in medical industry conferences once more, aiming to enhance the organization’s brand by interacting with healthcare leaders.

We promoted and showcased ABPS at 10 events, thereby fostering greater recognition of our certification options.

Total Sessions: 266,000 (8% YoY)

In 2024, ABPS experienced steady digital growth, driven largely by strong organic performance and consistent user acquisition across the year.

Website sessions grew by 8% year-over-year, totaling 266,000 sessions, while total users rose to 206,000. Organic traffic remained the dominant acquisition channel, contributing to over 75% of sessions. SEO efforts delivered impressive results with a 782% increase in clicks and over 7.3 million impressions, showing clear improvements in visibility and engagement. With strong search rankings and audience growth, ABPS is well positioned to improve conversion efficiency and on-site engagement through strategic optimizations.

ORGANIC SEARCH PERFORMANCE

Total Users: 206,000 (6%) New Users: 203,000 (7%) Page Views: 462,000 (7%)

Organic Sessions: 201,000 (2%) Organic Users: 159,000 (3%) Organic Views: 334,000 (1%) Top Traffic Sources: Google (185K), Bing (12.7K), Yahoo, DuckDuckGo Organic Clicks: 175,000 (782% YoY) Impressions: 7.37M (770%) Click-Through Rate (CTR): 2.38% (2%)

Federal Update The past year has brought with it great advancement in our public affairs efforts. Our Government and External Affairs Expert, Monique Tapie, continues to work with our CEO Jeff Morris, JD. With the passing of the AMA Resolution that recognized ABPS as a choice in physician board certification, we have been able to garner greater coalitional partnerships with state, and federal agencies. This has allowed us to finally position ABPS as the organization it truly is – physician board certification meeting the needs of 21st century medicine.

The team is actively working and coordinating with multiple congressional committee members, state leaders and antitrust think tanks to expose the institutional control that, for far too long, has been placing barriers to patient access to care throughout the country, all of which contribute to physician shortages. With the new presidential administration prioritizing ending the bureaucracies and monopolies in medicine, ABPS is now presented with a great opportunity to exponentially advance our recognition and ensure patients have access to the highest quality of care across the country, especially in rural America. Ms. Tapie continues to work tirelessly with decision makers both in Washington and in states across the country on behalf of your boards of certification.

2024-2025 AN N UAL R EP O RT A new Board of Certification in Cutaneous Oncology and Mohs Micrographic Surgery is currently in development, with the goal of offering their first exam in 2027.

Certification Updates

State Legislative Activities 2025 During this year’s legislative session, ABPS lobbied on 51 bills in 15 states. Our national lobbyist, Linda Murphy, successfully killed 8 of these bills and prevented ABMS from being listed exclusively in law. ABPS was also able to successfully defeat the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact bill in 1 state. Many of these bills are still in the beginning stages of the legislative process. We will continue advocating for your ABPS board certification.

New Certification Programs

ABPS is seeing an increase in the number of Diplomates participating as subject matter experts, in part due to the recently implemented Recertification Exam Waiver Policy for Subject Matter Experts, a new policy that rewards subject matter experts (SMEs) with a waiver of the examination for recertification for participating in exam development activities over the course of their 8-year certification period. The policy establishes a system of credits that are awarded, in lieu of CME, for participation in activities such as new exam item writing, review and approval of new items and exam forms, review and approval of oral cases, serving as oral examiners, etc., and the waiver is awarded once the SME has earned a minimum number of credits required and met all other requirements for recertification in their specialty.

ABPS certified its first Diplomates in interventional pain management in November 2024. The interventional pain management certification is under the administration of the Board of Certification in Anesthesiology (BCA).

The Board of Certification in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy is currently building their exam item bank and will soon be accepting applications, with the goal of offering their first exam in 2026. This certification is being developed by and for primary care endoscopists who provide high-quality gastrointestinal endoscopy services primarily in rural and underserved areas. Qualifications include completion of an ACGME-, AOA- or RCPSCaccredited residency with identifiable training or experience in gastrointestinal endoscopy during residency, after residency, or fellowship.

ABPS is also exploring other alternative options to the high-stakes examination currently required once every eight years for recertification.

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Fiscal Update ABPS experienced another good year in 2024. Financial results for the year ending December 31, 2024 include a surplus of over $550,000 and a cash and investments balance of almost $3.9 million.

The surplus for 2024 exceeded the prior year results due to consistent revenues year over year accompanied by lower expenses. Annual revenues remained around $3.2 million while expenses decreased by 9% to $2.7 million. These surpluses continue to be used to reinvest in the organization and our Diplomates for increased recognition, growth and the sustainability of our Boards.

2024 NET INCOME

$550,000 2024 EXPENSES

$2,700,000

9% Decrease from 2023

CASH AND INVESTMENTS BALANCE

$3,900,000 2024 REVENUE

$3,200,000 2024 RETENTION RATE

92.4%

2024-2025 AN N UAL R EP O RT

Leadership Academy Webinar Series

Emerging Leaders Incentive Program

In 2025, the ABPS Leadership Academy continued the Leadership Academy Webinar Series with additional leadership training opportunities. In January, Diplomates learned about the mission and organizational structure of ABPS, as well as key challenges facing the organization from Introduction to ABPS: Mission, Structure, & Challenges. In April, Servant Leadership & Leading With the ABPS Message covered aspects of servant leadership, how to prioritize the ABPS mission and organizational goals for the benefit of those we serve, and the role leaders can play in growing ABPS recognition. These webinars have been well attended and well received by ABPS Diplomates.

The Emerging Leaders Incentive Program was developed to encourage potential future ABPS leaders to attend the 2025 ABPS Leadership Meeting and increase leadership participation. Accepted applicants are eligible for reimbursement of travel expenses for attending the meeting which gives them an opportunity to learn about the inner workings of the organization, network with ABPS leaders, and participate in leadership development training.

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Award Recipients E. O. MARTIN AWARD

Lawrence N. Stein, MD, FAASOS

THOMAS EBNER LEADERSHIP AWARD

STEVEN G. CARIN, JR., DO, "GIDDY-UP” LEADERSHIP AWARD

Sarah E. Gilbert, MD, FAAEP

Karl David Kelley, MD, FAADM

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DAVID G.C. MCCANN, MD, DEVOTION AWARD

Arthur Cooper, MD, MS, FACS, FAADM

Albert J. Romanosky, MD, PhD

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DISASTER MEDICINE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

LESLIE MUKAU, MD, EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION AWARD

Donald A. Donahue, Jr., DHEd, MBA, MSJ, FACHE

Jack V. Greiner, MS, OD, DO, PhD, FAASS

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DEGREE OF FELLOW RECIPIENTS

Loren J. Chassels, DO, MST, FAAIM, FAWM Internal Medicine

Royce M. Joseph, MD, FAAEP, FAAFP Emergency Medicine

Karyn J. Condie, MD, MPH, PhD, FAAFP, FAADM Disaster Medicine

Leonard Lamsen, MD, FAAEP Emergency Medicine

Debjeet Sarkar, MD, FAAEP Emergency Medicine

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PHYSICIAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS

James M. Andriole, DO, MBA Administrative Medicine

Donald J. Brown, DO Dermatology

Emmanuel Konstantakos, MD Orthopedic Surgery (Awarded Posthumously)

Stuart G. Rasch, MD Emergency Medicine

Melinda R. Ring, MD Integrative Medicine

Wm. MacMillan Rodney, MD, FAAFP, FACEP – Surgery

Frederick L. Slone, MD, FAADM Disaster Medicine

Bhanumathy Vinayagasundaram, MD Family Medicine

Margaret I. Williams-Thirston, MD Anesthesiology

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2024-2025

ABPS

G OVERNAN CE AN D BOARD O F D I RECTO RS

Executive Committee

ABPS Staff

Sarah E. Gilbert, MD, FAAEP

Jeff Morris, JD

Ann Marie Chiasson, MD, MPH

Jacquelyn Hopkins

Leslie Mukau, MD, FAAEP, FACEP

Keely Clarke

Jeffrey B. Stricker, DO, MBA, FAASD

Debi Colmorgen

Board of Directors

Lauren W. Henrichsen

Robert A. DeSimone, MD

Erica Cuesta

President

President-Elect Vice President

Secretary/Treasurer

Member

Lance Luria, MD, FACP Member

Jonathan S. Simmons, DO, MS, FCCP, FACOI, FAADM Member

Lingappa S. Amernath, MD, FAAEP Certification Council Chair

Leslie Mukau, MD, FAAEP, FACEP

AAPS Education Committee Chair

Jerry A. Allison, MD, MSH, CPE, FAAEP Strategic Planning Chair (Non-Voting)

Arthur Cooper, MD, MS, FACS, FAADM Basic Documents Chair (Non-Voting)

Elizabeth P. Maxwell-Schmidt, MD, FAAEP, FACEP Presidential Advisor (Non-Voting)

Jeff Morris, JD

Chief Executive Officer (Non-Voting)

Chief Executive Officer Director of Finance & Operations Director of CME, Meetings & Membership CME, Meetings & Membership Coordinator Director of External Affairs Marketing & External Affairs Specialist

Susan LoBianco

Director of Certification

Christine Marascio

Certification Coordinator

Vidya Hahn

Certification Coordinator

Christina Stebbins

Director of Test Development

Angela Brumley

Certification CoordinatorTest Development

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What is NIF?

The National Initiative Fund (NIF) was created to strategically advance awareness and recognition of ABPS Member Boards as a choice for physicians. NIF contributions enable the organization to advocate for ABPS Board Certifications with influential stakeholders, including the U.S. Congress, state legislators, state medical boards, hospital systems and health plans.

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NATIONAL INITIATIVE FUND

www.abpsus.org

★NIF ACHIEVEMENTS★ ABPS is becoming a recognized option for

physician board certification in the healthcare industry. This is the result of hospitals, health

plans, online databases and communication platforms updating their policies and bylaws to include ABPS.

These efforts are funded solely by donations from ABPS Diplomates.

Please seriously consider contributing to NIF to help strengthen our efforts on your behalf.