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Dr. John Hunter Begins Term as 2016-2017 Chair

July 18, 2016 Media Contact: Christine Shiffer, 215-568-4000

• The American Board of Surgery (ABS), the national certifying body for general surgeons and related specialists, is pleased to welcome Dr. John G. Hunter as chair for 2016-2017.

• Dr. Hunter is surgeon-in-chief and the Mackenzie Professor and Chair of the department of surgery at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon. He also codirects the OHSU Digestive Health Center.
• Originally from Hanover, New Hampshire, Dr. Hunter attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania and completed his residency in general surgery at the University of Utah. Following residency, he completed fellowships in flexible endoscopy at Massachusetts General Hospital and in pancreatobiliary endoscopy at the University of Western Ontario.
• Dr. Hunter subsequently joined the faculty at the University of Utah as a gastrointestinal surgeon and the director of surgical endoscopy. He then spent nine years at Emory University, where he was clinical vice chairman of the department of surgery and chief of the division of gastrointestinal surgery, as well as director of the Emory swallowing center and the Emory endosurgical center.
• Dr. Hunter is currently editor-in-chief of the World Journal of Surgery and serves on the executive committee of the International Surgical Society. He is also a past president of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT) and the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES). His research activities concentrate on Barrett's esophagus, esophageal cancer and improvements in the techniques of minimally invasive surgery. His clinical interests include the management of diseases of the esophagus and stomach, and laparoscopic biliary surgery.
• First elected in 2004 as the SSAT representative to the newly formed ABS Gastrointestinal Surgery Advisory Council (GISAC), Dr. Hunter was then elected ABS director in 2010 representing the Pacific Coast Surgical Association. During his time as director, he has served as chair of GISAC, as well as member of the ABS Credentials Committee and General Surgery Advisory Council. Dr. Hunter is certified by the ABS in general surgery and is meeting the requirements of the ABS Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program.
• "I'm looking forward to my year as chair to continue our work with other stakeholders on redesigning general surgery residency, with the goal of using competency-based assessment to improve resident education and increase resident autonomy," said Dr. Hunter. "Equally, we will be moving forward with efforts to improve our MOC program so it is more useful and valuable to our diplomates, while still serving the needs of the public."

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.