ABS Seeks New Executive Director
Mar. 27, 2017
The American Board of Surgery (ABS) seeks a visionary surgeon with strong leadership experience to serve as its next executive director. The ABS is an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1937 to improve and broaden opportunities for the education and training of surgeons, and to provide initial certification and Maintenance of Certification (MOC) in general surgery and related specialties.
The executive director leads all organizational areas of the ABS and partners closely with its board of directors to establish strategic priorities. The executive director and the directors work to ensure the continued rigor and relevance of ABS certification and MOC processes, impacting more than 30,000 ABS-certified surgeons (known as diplomates), as well as surgeons in training, surgical training programs, the public, and a spectrum of other surgical and medical organizations.
In addition, the executive director serves as the ABS' primary liaison to diplomates, surgical training programs, and the larger surgical community, and is responsible for sustaining collaborative relationships with the American Board of Medical Specialties, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), and the full range of organizations involved in surgical education, licensure, and certification.
Candidates for this position must have extensive experience in surgical education. Prior surgery department or medical education administrative experience is highly desirable, in positions such as division head, department chair, or designated institutional official. It is also highly preferred that the candidate have prior experience in national educational organizations, in positions such as director of the ABS, member of the Review Committee for Surgery, consultant on examination committees of the ABS, or member of national committees of the American College of Surgeons, American Association of Medical Colleges, or ACGME.
The next executive director will take over at an important moment for the ABS and American surgery. They will be expected to advance the ABS' mission of providing leadership and promoting excellence in surgical education and surgical practice. The individual will also be expected to possess the operational and financial acumen to successfully oversee the functions of the ABS office, located in downtown Philadelphia.
The executive director search committee will be assisted by the search firm Isaacson, Miller. All inquiries, nominations, referrals, and applications (a CV and cover letter outlining the applicant's qualifications) should be sent via Isaacson, Miller's website: www.imsearch.com/6175.
The deadline for application submission is May 1, and the ABS expects to complete the search by the end of 2017.
ABS provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all individuals regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.
About the ABS
- The American Board of Surgery is an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1937 for the purpose of certifying individuals who have met a defined standard of education, training and knowledge in the field of surgery. Surgeons certified by the ABS have completed at least five years of surgical training following medical school and successfully completed a written and oral examination process administered by the ABS. They must then maintain their board certification through ongoing learning and practice improvement activities.
- The ABS offers board certification in general surgery, vascular surgery, pediatric surgery, surgical critical care, complex general surgical oncology, surgery of the hand, and hospice and palliative medicine. It is one of the 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties.
