2015 Annual Report of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Inc.

2015 ABPN Board of Directors

Executive Committee

Board Chair

Board Vice Chair

Board Secretary

Board Treasurer

Board Member-at-Large

Board Member-at-Large

Psychiatry Directors

Neurology Directors

ABPN Programs Promote Innovative Education and Research

by Larry R. Faulkner, M.D.

ABPN President and CEO

While the ABPN’s main mission is to develop and provide valid and reliable procedures for certification and maintenance of certification (MOC), this can only be accomplished through innovative psychiatry and neurology education and research. ABPN’s certification and MOC programs are meaningless without well trained psychiatrists and neurologists to participate in them or if those programs are not designed in a manner that promotes and documents the most important aspects of physician competence and lifelong learning. Innovative education is not only crucial to ensuring that psychiatrists and neurologists are trained during residency to provide effective and efficient care to their patients but also to ensuring that their lifelong learning efforts are relevant and meaningful. Innovative research is needed to understand which aspects of the ABPN certification process are most important to documenting the competence of psychiatrists and neurologists and which parts of the ABPN MOC program are most important to promoting effective lifelong learning.

The ABPN is also aware that academic departments of psychiatry and neurology are under more pressure than ever before to provide increased clinical services and that it is often difficult for clinical faculty to find time in their busy schedules for the types of education and research initiatives most needed by the ABPN. In an attempt to meet its needs for innovative education and research efforts and to provide a measure of support for academic faculty, the ABPN has recently started two new programs.

ABPN Faculty Innovation in Education Award Program

Starting in 2014, the ABPN began to support the development of innovative education and/or evaluation projects that promote effective residency/fellowship training or lifelong learning of practicing psychiatrists and neurologists. Each year, a selection committee composed of current ABPN Directors and psychiatry and neurology department chairs and training directors selects up to two psychiatry and two neurology faculty awardees from those who apply. Awardees receive up to $50,000 per year for two years and commit at least 25% of their time to their education or evaluation projects.

More detail concerning the awardees is provided elsewhere in this report, but it is important to note that the twelve selected so far have come from different academic departments in all regions of the country. Awardees’ projects have covered a range of topics important not only to the ABPN but to the broad fields of psychiatry and neurology education and evaluation, including improving clinical skills evaluations; digital recording to promote interviewing skills; quality improvement strategies to facilitate evidence-based practice; on-line curriculum to improve understanding of tobacco use disorders; wearable devices for remote evaluations of resident interviews; assessment and improvement in professionalism among practicing physicians; improving resident attitudes toward patients with comorbid serious mental disorders and substance use disorders; motivational interviewing to enhance care of patients with substance use disorders; simulated patients to evaluate communication and interpersonal skills; identification of social determinants contributing to mental illnesses and disparities in care; and competency-based assessments for residency milestones.

Many, if not most, of the projects supported to date have implications for the education and/or evaluation of both psychiatrists and neurologists. Follow-up will be done to determine the effects that projects have had not only on their departments of origin but more broadly as well.

ABPN Research Award Program

Beginning in 2016, the ABPN will solicit proposals from psychiatry and neurology faculty for research projects related to certification and/or MOC. It is hoped that these research projects will help the ABPN understand the strengths and weaknesses of its current certification and MOC processes and suggest where improvements might be made. Each year, a selection committee composed of current ABPN Directors and nominees from academic departments of psychiatry and neurology will select up to two psychiatry and two neurology awardees from those who apply. Awardees will receive up to $100,000 and their projects may take up to two years to complete.

The ABPN believes strongly that it must collaborate with academic departments of psychiatry and neurology and support the work of their talented faculty to ensure that candidates for certification receive the best education possible, that practicing psychiatrists and neurologists participate in effective lifelong learning, and that relevant research findings are available to guide ABPN programs for certification and MOC. The ABPN hopes that the two special educational and research programs described here will help achieve those important goals.

Faculty Innovation in Education Award Supports Education and Evaluation Projects From ABPN Diplomates

In November 2015, the ABPN announced the recipients of the 2016–17 ABPN Faculty Innovation in Education Award. The award supports the development of innovative education and/or evaluation projects that promote effective residency/fellowship training or lifelong learning of practicing psychiatrists and neurologists. Each year, the selection committee chooses up to two psychiatry and two neurology fellows for the two-year fellowship. “I continue to be impressed with the quality of the applications we have received for this award,” said Larry R. Faulkner, MD, ABPN President and CEO. “These projects have implications for education not only in psychiatry and neurology but in other medical specialties as well.”

The 2016–17 recipients are:

Augusto Miravalle, M.D.

Dr. Miravalle is an Associate Professor of Neurology and Vice Chair of Education, Department of Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine. His project will focus on the development of a competency-based assessment program for residency programs that maps assessment tools to the neurology Milestones.

Ruth Shim, M.D., M.P.H.

Dr. Shim is Vice Chair for Education and Faculty Development in the Department of Psychiatry at Lenox Hill Hospital, North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System and an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine. Her project will involve educating psychiatrists to identify the role of social determinants that contribute to mental illnesses and disparities and providing them with essential tools to effect change in their patients and communities.

Jonathan H. Smith, M.D.

Dr. Smith is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and Adult Residency Program Director, Department of Neurology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine. His project will explore the use of unannounced simulated patients to evaluate neurology residents’ communication and interpersonal skills.

Shilpa Srinivasan, M.D.

Dr. Srinivasan is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Associate Director of Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Training, Department of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of South Carolina School of Medicine. She will develop and implement an online curriculum to train psychiatry residents in motivational interviewing to enhance the care of patients with substance use disorders.

Last year’s recipients of the 2015–16 Faculty Innovation in Education Award, who are currently midway into their two-year fellowship, include:

Jonathan Avery, M.D.

Dr. Avery is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College. His project focuses on understanding psychiatry residents’ attitudes toward individuals diagnosed with comorbid serious mental illness and substance use disorders and developing interventions to improve these attitudes.

Andrea Leep, M.D.

Dr. Leep is an Assistant Professor of Neurology, Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic. The goals of her project are to develop a conceptual framework for the assessment and continuous improvement of professionalism among practicing physicians and to propose a model for incorporating professionalism into maintenance of certification (MOC) programs.

Andrew M. Southerland, M.D., M.Sc.

Dr. Southerland is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and Public Health Sciences, Department of Neurology, University of Virginia School of Medicine. He is assessing the feasibility and reliability of mobile telemedicine using wearable devices for remote evaluation of neurology resident patient examinations compared with face-to-face observation.

Jill Williams, M.D.

Dr. Williams is a Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Her project involves development and testing of an on-line curriculum on tobacco use disorders for psychiatry residents.

The Faculty Innovation in Education Award Committee, chaired by Robert Golden, MD, includes Drs. Allison Brashear, Deborah Cowley, Steven Epstein, Laurie Gutmann, Ralph Józefowicz, Jaffar Khan, and Kailie Shaw.

2015 Computer and Oral Examination Results

The ABPN administered 22 computer-based specialty and subspecialty certification and maintenance of certification (MOC) examinations in 2015 (Table 1). In addition, 32 combined MOC examinations were administered to 370 ABPN diplomates. About 7,550 ABPN computer-based examinations were administered at Pearson VUE testing centers.

The maintenance of certification examination in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities was administered to two ABPN diplomates and nine American Board of Pediatrics diplomates.

Two additional subspecialty examinations and two additional subspecialty maintenance of certification examinations were administered by other ABMS boards. The American Board of Anesthesiology administered the certification and MOC Pain Medicine examinations; 20 ABPN diplomates sat for certification, and 16 sat for MOC. The American Board of Internal Medicine administered the Sleep Medicine certification examination and the first MOC Sleep Medicine examination; 133 ABPN diplomates sat for certification, and two sat for MOC.

The last two Psychiatry oral examinations were held in Denver, CO and Portland, OR. The Child and Adolescent Psychiatry oral examination was held in Baltimore, MD. A total of 174 candidates took the oral examinations.

New Features of the ABPN Specialty Certification Examinations

The ABPN successfully developed and administered examinations for certification in psychiatry, neurology and neurology with special qualification in child neurology in 2015. These ABPN certification examinations are mature medical certification examinations and continue to have high measurement qualities.

The 2015 ABPN specialty certification examinations included several new features. To reduce the possible effects of rushing by examinees and, at the same time, to make the examinations more efficient, the number of items for the psychiatry certification examination was reduced from 500 to 480. For neurology and child neurology certification examinations, the number of items was reduced from 420 to 400. This reduction in test length did not affect psychometric quality and results showed that the overall test reliability for these examinations continued to be at the very highest level for medical certification examinations.

2015 was the first year of the three-year transition from DSM-IV to DSM-5 terminology for the ABPN examinations. To prepare for this transition, the ABPN certification examination test development committees and staff painstakingly searched all the DSM-IV terminology in every test question in the entire item bank and identified the best corresponding DSM-5 terminology. In the 2015 ABPN specialty certification examinations, both DSM-IV and DSM-5 terminologies were presented. The DSM-5 terminologies were listed adjacent to the corresponding DSM-IV terminologies throughout the examinations. Our intention was to minimize the effects of knowledge of DSM terminology on the examinees’ test results. The posttest feedback suggested that this conversion approach was well received by examinees. This dual-listing approach will continue in the 2016 examinations. Starting in 2017, all ABPN examinations will use only DSM-5 terminology.

The ABPN specialty certification examinations are also experiencing significant content restructuring. In 2015, the Board approved new content specifications for all the specialty certification examinations to be effective with the 2017 examinations. The new content specifications will be disease or disorder oriented. Most test questions will address certain aspects of specific diseases and the clinical approach to the diseases. The intent of this design is to further emphasize the clinical application and the core medical competencies on the examinations. This change is a major undertaking. Consequently, the test development committees have been heavily engaged in content design, test development process modification, and item bank review and restructuring.

ABPN Collaborates With Singapore Group to Develop Psychiatry Certification Examinations

The ABPN has engaged in a ten-year collaborative arrangement with the Ministry of Health, Singapore, through the ABMS Singapore, LLC, to jointly develop postgraduate examinations for psychiatrists in Singapore. The assessment process developed under this collaboration is specifically designed for the Singapore health care system and to operate within that specific context. The arrangement allows Singapore to share ABPN’s expertise in certification for psychiatry and neurology to implement its system of medical certification and to incorporate elements of the US medical certification model.

To ensure the Singapore psychiatry examinations are equal to ABPN standards, the ABPN established a special nine-member International Examination Committee (IEC) to work with the eight-member Singapore Workgroup. The IEC is chaired by Dr. George Keepers with vice chairs of Dr. Beth Ann Brooks for the psychiatry subgroup and Dr. Michael Aminoff for the neurology subgroup.

The Singapore psychiatry examination development process was designed in a joint effort between the Singapore Workgroup and the IEC. Every year, psychiatrists and neurologists in the IEC write new items specifically for the Singapore examinations and review the items written by both the IEC and the Singapore Workgroup. At the end of the development process, the IEC chair and ABPN officials meet with the Singapore Workgroup at the test assembly meeting to review and approve the final examination.

This joint project started in 2012 when the ABPN proposed the examination content specifications to the Singapore Workgroup. The content proposal mirrored the blueprint and outlines of the ABPN psychiatry certification examinations. The first Singapore psychiatry examination was developed in 2013 and administered in August 2014. Three examinees took this inaugural computer-delivered examination. The second examination was developed in 2014 and administered in August 2015 to ten examinees. The 2016 examination was approved by the Singapore Workgroup at the test assembly meeting in early December 2015 and will be administered on August 6, 2016.

The experiences and the quality of the products in this process suggest that this unique dual-committee approach and the collaboration between the professionals of the two countries were both effective and successful.

ABPN Hosts Final Adult Psychiatry Part II Examination

The final adult psychiatry Part II examination was held on September 25–26, 2015, in Portland, Oregon. The examination took place at the Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health and Science University and was hosted by Chairman Dr. George Keepers. Approximately 40 candidates and 25 examiners participated, and the team leaders were Drs. Kailie Shaw and Robert Guynn.

Thank you to all of the examiners, host sites, and volunteer patients over the years.

Ambassadors Communicate MOC and Lifelong Learning Messages to Specialty and Subspecialty Groups

The ABPN has benefited from the work of more than 40 trained volunteer diplomates in 2015 who communicate a consistent positive message about MOC and lifelong learning to professional organizations, group practice settings and other groups.

Thank you to the following psychiatrists and neurologists:

Psychiatry Ambassadors

Neurology Ambassadors

2015 Crucial Issues Forum Focused on Resident Competence Requirements

The 2015 Crucial Issues Forum, organized by the ABPN, was held on May 3–4, 2015, in Chicago. The goal of this forum was for ABPN Directors to gain insight and receive feedback from educational leaders on several issues related to resident competence requirements in psychiatry, neurology, and child neurology. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Ann Tilton, ABPN Chair, and representatives from several psychiatry, neurology, and child neurology organizations participated, including eight residents/fellows, as well as ABPN directors and senior staff.

Four plenary speakers led off the forum. Dr. Larry Faulkner (ABPN) provided the ABPN’s perspective on resident competence, and Drs. Jo Buyske (American Board of Surgery), Furman McDonald (American Board of Internal Medicine), and David Nichols (American Board of Pediatrics) provided insights from their respective specialty boards.

Small group discussions were held centering on three specific questions, and there was opportunity for informal exchange among the attendees. The discussion questions included:

Summary

It was the consensus of the ABPN directors that the forum provided an opportunity for key educational leaders in psychiatry and neurology to participate in in-depth discussions about resident competence. The ABPN plans to survey practicing psychiatrists and neurologists to gain their perspectives on these issues. More information on the 2015 Crucial Issues Forum is available in a separate publication on the ABPN website.

Reflections From the Spring 2015 Senior Resident Administrative Fellow

by Zubair Ahmed, M.D.

Headache and Pain Fellow, Neurology, University of Utah School of Medicine

I had the distinct privilege of spending three months at the ABPN as part of an administrative fellowship. As with most residents I had a very limited understanding of the function of the ABPN. At the end of this fellowship I gained an appreciation of the wide spectrum of responsibilities the ABPN has beyond certifying physicians, from the administration of oral examinations to evaluating combined residency training programs. In addition, my fellowship came at a very opportune moment as I was exposed to the various perspectives on the MOC debate.

My expectations were clear from the outset and included learning about the responsibilities of the ABPN as a whole, and in particular the fiduciary responsibilities of the board of directors. I also had scheduled meetings with the senior staff to gain an in-depth understanding of their responsibilities which allowed the ABPN to function on a day-to-day basis. Finally, I completed a research project, specific to my area of interest, evaluating the current state of headache education in adult neurology residency programs by surveying neurology program directors and chief residents. I gave a presentation to the senior staff on my findings and submitted the article to the AAN for publication.

Almost a third of the fellowship was spent traveling as I attended the annual neurology and psychiatry meetings, RRC meetings, and ABPN policy meeting. I gained an appreciation for the role that the ABPN plays in advancing education through not only the crucial issues forum but also by encouraging junior faculty through their research grants and initiatives.

The fellowship gave me the opportunity to meet with some of the most influential academicians in neurology and psychiatry. I spent a day at the AAN in Minneapolis learning about their different sections and how they work together to provide the resources they do for their members. I also visited various neurology residency programs and had discussions with chairmen and program directors to obtain a better insight into their organizational structure and function and the various factors that influenced their career path.

The value of this fellowship lay in its immersion into all things administration. It gave me an appreciation of the multidimensional responsibilities of the ABPN while opening my eyes to some of the most crucial issues affecting our field and an insight on how to approach some of these challenges. More than anything else, my time at the ABPN and my interaction with the leaders in neurology and psychiatry has given me hope that we can find our way through the pressured maze of bureaucracy and increasing scrutiny to an era where we will be able to provide the best care for our patients while seamlessly documenting the quality of our work. I am optimistic that our future is in our hands and that our collective effort will be crucial to effectuate the outcomes we desire.

Observations From the Fall 2015 Senior Resident Administrative Fellow

by Sarah O’Shea, M.D.

Neurology Resident, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics

I had the honor and pleasure of participating in the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Administrative Fellowship during the Fall of 2015. Prior to commencing the fellowship, I was not aware of the organization and function of the ABPN as well as the ABPN’s interactions with many other national organizations. After I completed the fellowship in November 2015, I had a great understanding about the goals and organization of the ABPN.

The fellowship included weekly seminars with the ABPN Senior Staff and Dr. Faulkner as well as meetings and conferences in various subspecialities in psychiatry and neurology. Specifically, I had the opportunity to attend the ABPN Fall Policy Meeting, meetings at the American Psychiatric Association and American Academy of Neurology, as well as psychiatry and neurology professional organization annual meetings, where I had the honor of meeting many leaders in both of these specialties.

Research was also another major component. Under the guidance of Dr. Faulkner and the senior staff, I was able to develop two research projects. I investigated the attitudes and interest of movement disorders faculty in pursuing accreditation and certification of the subspecialty. The second research project involved investigating the attitudes of psychiatry and neurology diplomates about their primary care education during their years of respective residency training. These research projects allowed me to explore my academic interests in depth as well as learn about research in education in psychiatry and neurology.

This fellowship opportunity gave me first-hand experience with administration within the ABPN. I have developed an understanding of the organization and goals of the ABPN, the importance of lifelong learning and maintenance of certification, and the interactions between various academic organizations and boards. More importantly, this unique fellowship helped me develop my leadership skills and exposed me to an aspect of medicine that is not often explored during residency training. The lessons that I learned will be carried with me for the rest of my academic neurology career. I am very grateful I had the opportunity to participate in this fellowship.

Awards and Honors

Current and former members of the ABPN Board of Directors received several awards in 2015.

Joan Anzia, M.D., ABPN director, received an award from Northwestern University’s McGaw Medical Center Graduate Medical Education Committee for improving mental health and wellness resources for its 1200 residents and fellows.

Allison Brashear, M.D., ABPN director, was named the 2015 John B. Penney, Jr, Memorial Lecturer in January 2015 by Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Neurology.

Patricia Crumrine, M.D., former ABPN director, was awarded a CNS Lifetime Achievement Award by the Child Neurology Society in October 2015.

Robert N. Golden, M.D., ABPN director, was elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC) this past year, and also became the Second Vice President of the American College of Psychiatrists.

Paramjit Joshi, M.D., ABPN director, received the 2015 IAPA Outstanding Academician Award for outstanding contributions in research, clinical care and dedication to the Indo-American Psychiatric Association in May 2015. Dr. Joshi was also awarded Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.

Jeffrey Lyness, M.D., ABPN director, received a Special Commendation for Excellence in Second-Year Teaching from the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry Class of 2017 in September.

2015 Publications

Several articles featuring the ABPN and its Board of Directors appeared in publications throughout 2015 (1–2) Assessment of Clinical Skills in Psychiatry and Neurology:

2015 Presentations

Throughout 2015, ABPN Directors, staff and MOC Ambassadors contributed their knowledge of both the psychiatry and neurology specialties and subspecialties and the importance of certification and maintenance of certification by engaging in presentations to various groups.

February

The ABPN MOC Program: Lifelong Learning for Psychiatrists and Neurologists, presented by J. Lyness to Genesee Valley Psychiatric Association, Rochester Academy of Medicine, February 2015.

The ABPN MOC Program: Lifelong Learning for Psychiatrists and Neurologists, presented by L. Faulkner to the Hawaii Psychiatric Medical Association, February 2015.

ABPN Informational Session on MOC, presented by J. Clay Goodman to AAN Breakthroughs in Neurology Conference, February 2015.

The ABPN MOC Program: Lifelong Learning for Psychiatrists and Neurologists, presented by Mary Lu, MD, Nevada Psychiatric Association, February 2015.

March

Update on Maintenance of Certification in Geriatric Psychiatry, presented by J. Lyness and D. Sewell, American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry Annual Meeting, March 2015.

The ABPN MOC Program: Lifelong Learning for Psychiatrists and Neurologists, presented by J. Morris, Psychiatrists of Guam, March 2015.

The ABPN MOC Program: Lifelong Learning for Psychiatrists and Neurologists, presented by B. Schneidman, Puget Sound Veterans Administration Health Care System – residents, March 2015.

How to Develop Video-Based Content for Computer-Based Examinations: Experiences and Lessons, presented by L. Shen and L. Benwitz to Association of Test Publishers Annual Meeting, March 2015.

ABPN Update, presented by L. Faulkner, American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training Annual Meeting, March 2015.

April

The ABPN MOC Program: Lifelong Learning for Psychiatrists and Neurologists, presented by S. Epstein, Psychiatric Society of Westchester County, April 2015.

The ABPN MOC Program: Lifelong Learning for Psychiatrists and Neurologists, presented by L. Faulkner, American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting, April 2015.

Comparing Maintenance of Certification and Certification Examinations, presented by L. Shen and D. Juul at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, April 2015.

May

The ABPN MOC Program: Lifelong Learning for Psychiatrists and Neurologists, presented by L. Faulkner, American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting, May 2015.

The ABPN Perspective on Promoting and Assessing Resident Competence, presented by L. Faulkner at the ABPN Crucial Issues Forum on Resident Competence, May 2015.

June

The ABPN MOC Program: Lifelong Learning for Psychiatrists and Neurologists, presented by J. Cheong, Oklahoma Psychiatric Physicians Association Meeting, June 2015.

July

The ABPN MOC Program: Lifelong Learning for Psychiatrists and Neurologists, presented by C. Santos, Texas Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists, July 2015.

September

Certification and MOC, presented by J. Anzia for Senior Resident Professional Development at Northwestern University, September 2015.

The ABPN MOC Program: Lifelong Learning for Psychiatrists and Neurologists, presented by L. Faulkner, American Neurology Association Annual Meeting, September 2015.

The ABPN MOC Program: Lifelong Learning for Psychiatrists and Neurologists, presented by R. Hargrave, U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress 2015, September 2015.

October

The ABPN MOC Program, presented by J. Anzia to Northwestern University Faculty Development Meeting, October 2015.

The ABPN MOC Program: Lifelong Learning for Psychiatrists and Neurologists, presented by S. Lewis, American Academy of Neurology Fall Conference, October 2015.

The ABPN MOC Program: Lifelong Learning for Psychiatrists and Neurologists, presented by L. Faulkner, Institute on Psychiatric Services, October 2015.

The ABPN MOC Program: Lifelong Learning for Psychiatrists and Neurologists, presented by L. Faulkner, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Annual Meeting, October 2015.

ABPN Participation in American Board of Medical Specialties Committees and Interest Groups

The ABPN continues its active involvement in the ABMS. The following ABPN directors, emeritus directors and staff served on committees and task forces:

Laurie Gutmann, M.D.: Subcommittee for MOC for physician-scientists

Kerry H. Levin, M.D.: Committee on Continuing Certification

Victor I. Reus, M.D.: Board of Directors for the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education

Barbara S. Schneidman, M.D., M.P.H.: Board of Directors

ABPN Staff:

Karen Back: MeetNet

Patricia Janda: ProNet

Catherine Szmurlo: ComNet

Patricia Vondrak: MOCNet

Paul Whittington: ComNet and TechNet

Professional Society Meeting Participation

ABPN staff values the importance of attending meetings of our professional society partners and participating with display tables or booths, in order to meet with and answer questions from our candidates and diplomates. The following organizations were included in the 2015 schedule:

Our Mission

The mission of the ABPN is to develop and provide valid and reliable procedures for certification and maintenance of certification in psychiatry and neurology by:

Statement on Professionalism

Professionalism forms the basis of medicine’s contract with society. The ABPN is concerned with those aspects of professionalism that are demonstrated through: a physician’s clinical competence, commitment to lifelong learning and professional improvement, interpersonal skills, and ethical understanding and behavior. In its credentialing, certification, and MOC programs, the ABPN seeks to assess and document that its candidates and diplomates possess and maintain these essential aspects of professionalism.

(See the online data supplement accompanying this report for a list of names of individuals receiving certification and MOC.)