ABMS Appoints John D. Mandelbaum as Associate General Counsel
and Promotes Mellie Villahermosa Pouwels to Vice President, MOC Educational and Support Services

CHICAGO – June 13, 2011 – The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the organization overseeing the certification of physician specialists in the United States, has appointed John D. Mandelbaum as Associate General Counsel.  In addition, ABMS has promoted Mellie Villahermosa Pouwels to the position of Vice President, Maintenance of Certification Educational and Support Services.

John D. Mandelbaum – Associate General Counsel

Mr. Mandelbaum is a seasoned corporate attorney with a diverse background in both domestic and international legal affairs, as well as extensive experience in transaction negotiation, corporate governance, management and administration.  He will utilize his skills to provide comprehensive legal support to ABMS and work closely with outside legal counsel.  In addition to his experience, Mr. Mandelbaum has a long-standing interest in non-profit organizations, especially those related to the health care profession.  He is a particularly passionate advocate for bioethics.

“The addition of John provides more depth to ABMS and fills a need as our organization continues to grow,” said Kevin B. Weiss, MD, ABMS President and CEO.  “John’s experience in handling wide-ranging legal issues for a variety of companies and associations will be an asset to ABMS in our efforts to remain a leading voice for setting standards for physician certification.”

Prior to coming to ABMS, Mr. Mandelbaum was a Managing Partner in the Chicago and London offices of Husch Blackwell LLP, a leading AmLaw 100 commercial law firm with 650 attorneys and 14 offices in the United States and the United Kingdom.  He received his Juris Doctor degree from Northwestern University School of Law and a Master of Business Administration from the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce in France.

Mellie Villahermosa Pouwels – Vice President, MOC Educational and Support Services

As Vice President, MOC Educational and Support Services, Ms. Pouwels is assuming an increased level of responsibility for providing ongoing leadership and direction for the continued growth and development of ABMS’ MOC educational and support services.

“Mellie has provided exemplary leadership of the MOC Support Program in overseeing the launch of several new educational programs, initiation of important internal and external collaborative projects, and support of the committees and working groups charged with moving the MOC program forward,” said Richard E. Hawkins, MD, ABMS Senior Vice President, Professional and Scientific Affairs.  “Her promotion to Vice President, MOC Educational and Support Services, recognizes Mellie’s accomplishments to date in managing the MOC Support Program for our Member Boards.”

Ms. Pouwels most recently served ABMS as Program Director, MOC Support Program.  She has over 15 years of experience in Continuing Medical Education, as well as experience in medical student education and community-based training programs.  Ms. Pouwels received her Master’s degree in Counseling from Loyola Marymount University and her Bachelor’s degree in Art History from the University of Notre Dame.

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About ABMS
For more than 75 years, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has been the medical organization overseeing physician certification in the United States.  It assists its
24 Member Boards in their efforts to develop and implement educational and professional standards for the evaluation and certification of physician specialists.  ABMS Member Boards provide physician certification information to ABMS for its certification verification service programs.  ABMS is recognized by the key health care credentialing accreditation entities as a primary equivalent source of Board Certification data for medical specialists.  Patients can visit www.CertificationMatters.org or call toll-free (866) ASK-ABMS to see if their physician is Board Certified by an ABMS Member Board.  For more information about ABMS, visit www.abms.org or call (312) 436-2600.

The 24 Member Boards that make up the ABMS Board Enterprise and cover over 150 medical specialties and subspecialties include the: American Board of Allergy and Immunology, American Board of Anesthesiology, American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery, American Board of Dermatology, American Board of Emergency Medicine, American Board of Family Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine, American Board of Medical Genetics, American Board of Neurological Surgery, American Board of Nuclear Medicine, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American Board of Ophthalmology, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, American Board of Otolaryngology, American Board of Pathology, American Board of Pediatrics, American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, American Board of Plastic Surgery, American Board of Preventive Medicine, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, American Board of Radiology, American Board of Surgery, American Board of Thoracic Surgery and American Board of Urology.