Former ABMS BOD Chair Named Recipient of the Derrick T. Vail Award
Longtime Executive Director of the American Board of Anesthesiology presented with the 2010 ABMS Distinguished Service Award

CHICAGO – April 11, 2011 – The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is announcing that Joel A. DeLisa, MD, who served as the 32nd Chair of the ABMS Board of Directors (BOD) and has made extraordinary contributions to ABMS and its 24 Member Boards for almost 20 years, has been named recipient of the Derrick T. Vail Award, ABMS’ highest recognition.  The Award recognizes extraordinary national or international contributions to the broad field of medical specialty education, evaluation or certification.  In addition, ABMS has presented its 2010 Distinguished Service Award (DSA) to Francis P. Hughes, PhD, who served as Executive Director of the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) for over a quarter-century, for contributing significantly to the ABMS Maintenance of Certification® (ABMS MOC®) program and to ABA’s examination and certification processes, along with his work on other ABMS and ABA certification initiatives.  The DSA recognizes extraordinary contributions to the medical specialty certification process.  Drs. DeLisa and Hughes were formally recognized for their accomplishments at the ABMS Annual Assembly Meeting in Washington, DC.

Joel A. DeLisa, MD – Derrick T. Vail Award

As BOD Chair from 2008-2010, Dr. DeLisa spearheaded many innovations and advances, including the ABMS Enhanced Public Trust Initiative (EPTI), increased transparency and inclusion of the ABMS Member Boards and Board Executives by the Governance Committee and substantial strides forward for the ABMS MOC program, which he helped shape, that focuses on lifelong learning by doctors who demonstrate that they are keeping pace with the latest advances in their specialty.

“It was my professional and personal pleasure to work closely with Dr. DeLisa during his tenure as Board Chair, a time of accomplishment for ABMS and the Board Enterprise,” said Kevin B. Weiss, MD, ABMS President and CEO.  “During that time, ABMS celebrated its 75th anniversary, and he played a big role in planning the events to mark this milestone, as well as the 10th anniversary of the ABMS MOC program, to which Dr. DeLisa was a major contributor.  His enthusiasm and commitment to the mission of ABMS has been unflagging and far-reaching.  On behalf of ABMS and its Member Boards, I congratulate Dr. DeLisa on this well-deserved honor.”

“It is an honor to receive such an award from one's peers.  For the past 17-plus years, I had the pleasure and privilege of working with each and every Member Board, the Public Members and Associate Members,” said Dr. DeLisa.  “I am very appreciative of this award.”

Dr. DeLisa, who is Board Certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, is only the second recipient of the Derrick T. Vail Award.  David L. Nahrwold, MD, who chaired the ABMS Task Force on Competence, which developed the ABMS MOC program, and is considered the architect of the ABMS MOC program, was the first recipient in 2007.  Derrick T. Vail, MD, the award’s namesake, was the first to propose the concept of specialty certification in medicine.  His 1908 presidential address to the Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology helped to inspire the formation of the country’s first medical specialty board, now known as the American Board of Ophthalmology.

“The Derrick T. Vail Award is not something that is given out every year, which speaks to the prestigiousness of this award,” said John B. McCabe, MD, ABMS BOD Chair and Dr. DeLisa’s immediate successor.  “It is only given to those who embody the spirit of ABMS and have made lasting contributions to its rich history.  The hard work and dedication of Dr. DeLisa makes him the ideal choice as our second recipient of the Derrick T. Vail Award.”

Francis P. Hughes, PhD – 2010 ABMS Distinguished Service Award

Dr. Hughes was instrumental in advancing ABA’s voluntary process for continued demonstration of qualifications (CDQ), recertification and time-limited certification.  His efforts quickly evolved to the more comprehensive and mandatory Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology program.  He brought invaluable knowledge of the workings of ABMS into ABA Board discussions and supported the Board’s work through CDQ, recertification and the MOC program.  Dr. Hughes also established the groundwork for Board-Society collaboration on Parts II and IV of the MOC program.

“Dr. Hughes facilitated many discussions with the ABA Board over the value of subspecialty certification and effectively partnered with ABMS to establish subspecialty certification for anesthesiologists in both Critical Care Medicine and Pain Medicine,” said Dr. McCabe.  “We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Dr. Hughes for his tireless efforts on behalf of everyone committed to maintaining and enhancing the highest standards in health care quality, transparency and physician accountability.”

Dr. Hughes served for 13 years as an ABA alternate representative to the Assembly and three years as an ABA voting representative.  He was also Chair of the Committee of Board Representatives and Executives (COBRE) in 2005 and Chair of the Board Executive Caucus from 2006-2008.  He was a well-known member of the Assembly for many years who was recognized for his knowledge, collegiality, leadership and wisdom.

“This award came as a pleasant surprise and I’m delighted to be able to accept the honor.  I always saw my role as the Executive Director of the American Board of Anesthesiology as a role of service, and I know that the time I spent with the Board, the Assembly and ABMS has been appreciated and that this recognition is one that I’ll certainly keep in mind going forward,” said Dr. Hughes.  “It’s been a privilege to serve at ABMS.”

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 1-866-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 more than 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.