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Boards and Committees

ABIM is led by physicians—founded and operating on the principle that board certified physicians are accountable to the profession, their peers and the public. 

At every level, ABIM thrives on the involvement of the medical community, including board certified physicians, interdisciplinary healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers. Physicians and public representatives play an integral role in ABIM Governance, shaping policy and ensuring that certification remains relevant and valuable to the many people it affects. Physicians write questions for assessments and serve on volunteer panels and committees to set standards, offer feedback and drive development and growth.

About ABIM Governance

ABIM Governance represents and acts on the interests of board certified physicians and their patients in the day-to-day work of ABIM, from strategic direction and policy-making, to the real work of creating assessments. Together, the boards and committees that constitute our governance work to ensure the validity, rigor, value and relevance of certification and Maintenance of Certification (MOC).

Organizational flowchart depicting the structure and relationships between various entities involved in secure assessment and oversight. At the top-left, the "BOD" (Board of Directors) is responsible for strategy and fiduciary oversight. Below it is the "Council," which handles program rules and cross-disciplinary decisions. The "Council" and "BOD" both connect to the "Specialty Boards," which oversee training, society relations, intra-disciplinary decisions, and approval committee oversight. The "Specialty Boards" branch into two "Approval Committees" – one for Cert/MOC and another for LKA, both responsible for secure assessment. Each "Approval Committee" is connected to an "Item Writing Task Force," also focused on secure assessment. The structure suggests a hierarchical and collaborative relationship across these entities.

Physician Representation

ABIM Governance is composed of a majority of practicing, board certified physicians, including some who represent the perspectives of related disciplines outside of internal medicine (e.g., emergency medicine, neurocritical care, pediatrics; other American Board of Medical Specialties Member Boards). All physician members must be actively certified and Participating in MOC. Each branch of governance seeks to represent within itself the broadest possible range of physician demographics and experiences, including age and career stage, practice setting, region, race and ethnicity, and subspecialty areas.

Public Representation

Working alongside dedicated physician experts, ABIM Governance is more robust and diverse with the addition of other voices: interdisciplinary and credentialed healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers. This inclusion matters to ensure that the ABIM credential holds value and relevance to the stakeholders who rely on it to tell them a physician is staying current. The Board of Directors, ABIM Council, Specialty Boards and Advisory Committees each hold a specified number of seats for public members with different backgrounds or qualifications. (Approval Committees and the Item-Writing Task Forces are composed entirely of board certified physicians only.)

Get Involved

ABIM Governance has openings across each branch. Explore current opportunities and consider applying or nominating a colleague for a position.

View Openings