Three ABMS Visiting Scholars from the Class of 2018-19 talk about their experiences and research projects as well as the benefits of the program designed for early-career physicians. Amy Cizik, PhD, MPH, a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Washington (ABMS/ABOS Scholar), now at the University of Utah, was pleasantly surprised by the camaraderie of the cohort, especially given that she was the only PhD in the group. They have remained friends and even talk about future collaborations. Rodney Omron, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, notes that the values of the program mirrored his own as well as his research. Having access to ABMS resources enabled Dr. Omron to have his research project vetted by experts in the field. Because of being a Visiting Scholar, Brian George, MD, MA, a trauma surgeon at the University of Michigan, was able to “dip his toe in the policy pond” by accessing people in organizations responsible for policies that he was trying to influence through his research.
TRANSCRIPT: Amy Cizik, PhD, MPH: I was introduced to the ABMS Visiting Scholars Program through one of the member boards the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS)…
Rodney Omron, MD, MPH: So, when I was researching the ABMS Visiting Scholars Program, I had the opportunity to see the amazing things that the program offered and I noticed how the values of the program are similar to my own values as well as my research…
Brian George, MD, MA: So, for me the Visiting Scholar Program really was all about dipping my toe into policy for the first time. And a lot of the work that I was interested in doing had policy implications but I’d never really had access to the people and organizations that were responsible for those policies I was trying to influence…
Dr. Omron: Using ABMS and having ABMS as a resource I’ve had access to psychometricians who have helped me with my education methodology and I’ve also had an opportunity to even vet my information through experts in the field who helped to modify and recalibrate it so it could be even better…
Dr. Cizik: My research project for the ABMS Visiting Scholars program was to understand how we can use patient reported outcomes in the certification process. Typically we’ve used these in the research studying for clinical trials and prospective research studies. We’ve also used them in clinical care to inform clinical decision-making. The results of this study can be a new tool that boards can use in the certification process…
Dr. George: ABMS Visiting Scholar Program really opened doors for me with the American Board of Surgery which is my own specialty board and what I had been asking for was data. Being a scholar let me bring credibility to the table and say I’m a good actor. I’m trying to do the right things and why don’t we work together in partnership to advance really what I think are shared goals…
Dr. Cizik: Being an ABMS Visiting Scholar has exceeded my expectations. I was introduced to a lot of the policy of how we bring people into the medical profession and ensure safety and quality for patients. I also was amazed at the camaraderie among the cohort that I was in. We’re all very good friends. We’re talking about future collaborations together. I think that was surprising given that I was the only PhD in the group and everyone else were MDs and it was just a great experience in terms of the cohort…
Dr. Omron: It’s been an incredible experience. I’ve had the opportunity to participate at the highest levels had open access to everything that ABMS does as well as how they liaison with other organizations.
