American Board of Dermatology Inc
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The American Board of Dermatology (ABD) exists to serve the public by setting high standards of education, training, knowledge, and skills essential for providing superior, specialized care to patients with cutaneous diseases. The ABD is a voluntary, non-profit, private, autonomous organization run by and for dermatologists.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Initial Certification in General Dermatology
The ABD certifies physicians in General Dermatology who have completed a minimum of four years of postgraduate training (including three years of dermatology residency) in a program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) or possess the standard certificate of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. The candidate must hold a currently valid, full, and unrestricted license to practice medicine or osteopathy in his/her state or province of residence. The candidate must pass a series of exams of general dermatology knowledge. Upon successfully completing residency, s/he also must pass an APPLIED Exam, demonstrating s/he can apply knowledge to practice. Upon completing residency and passing the required exams, candidates are awarded certification, verifying that they have demonstrated sufficient professional ability to practice competently, ethically and independently.
Initial Certification in Dermatology Subspecialties
The ABD certifies dermatologists in subspecialties who are certified in general dermatology and have completed an additional 12-month training program in a dermatology subspecialty. Candidates must pass a demanding examination in their subspecialty. Subspecialties include Dermatopathology, Pediatric Dermatology, Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery (MDS).
Continuing Certification
To keep their certification current, the ABD requires board-certified dermatologists to complete activities designed to provide learning and practice improvement opportunities. These activities include continuing medical education (CME) hours, periodic self-assessment, practice improvement activities, and assessment. The ABD now offers CertLink, a longitudinal assessment platform designed to be both educational and evaluative, in lieu of the Continuing Certification examination taken at a testing center.
Where we work
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of physicians who achieve certification in General Dermatology
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Students
Related Program
Initial Certification in General Dermatology
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
This number represents physicians who have completed dermatology residency and passed the initial board certification exam on their first attempt.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The American Board of Dermatology exists to serve the public by setting high standards for dermatologists and dermatology subspecialists by establishing and maintaining high standards of training, education and qualifications of physicians rendering care in dermatology. The objective of all of its activities is to provide assurance that a diplomate of the Board possesses and maintains the knowledge and skills essential for the provision of superior, specialized care to patients with cutaneous diseases. Through assessments and continuing certification activities, the Board aims to support dermatologists and dermatology subspecialists by providing tools for life-long learning in dermatology.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
1. Establishing requirements for post-doctoral training in Dermatology, Dermatopathology (in concert with the American Board of Pathology), Pediatric Dermatology, and Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology.
2. Participating, through the Residency Review Committee for Dermatology, in the accreditation of Dermatology, Dermatopathology and Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology training programs.
3. Participating in the assessment and approval of fellowships in Pediatric Dermatology.
4. Monitoring the training of each candidate as documented in annual progress reports submitted by directors of residency and fellowship training programs.
5. Creating and supplying to program directors in dermatology an annual in-training examination used to monitor the progress of trainees.
6. Assessing the credentials of candidates who apply voluntarily for certification and maintenance of certification in Dermatology or subspecialty certification and maintenance of certification in Dermatopathology or Pediatric Dermatology.
7. Creating and conducting comprehensive examinations to determine the competence of physicians who meet the eligibility requirements for certification and continuing certification in Dermatology or subspecialty certification and continuing certification in Dermatopathology (in concert with the American Board of Pathology) or Pediatric Dermatology.
8. Issuing an appropriate certificate to those dermatologists who meet the requirements of the Board and satisfactorily complete the certifying and maintenance of certification examination in Dermatology, and subspecialty certification and maintenance of certification examinations in Dermatopathology and Pediatric Dermatology.
9. Developing, conducting and monitoring continuing certification programs for the physicians who have been issued time-limited certificates in Dermatology, Dermatopathology and Pediatric Dermatology, and for diplomates with lifetime certification who elect to pursue continuing certification voluntarily.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The ABD works in concert with the American Board of Medical Specialties, the Association of Graduate Medical Education, leaders at accredited dermatology training programs, and others to establish standards and develop programs to help candidates for certification and certified dermatologists meet these standards.
The ABD relies on a part-time executive committee and more than 70 certified dermatologists who volunteer to help write test questions, develop exams, set policies, and lead the work of the ABD.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The ABD has made significant progress in areas serving candidates for certification for for certified dermatologists, known as diplomates.
The ABD has developed and implemented a new Staged Pathway to Initial Certification, replacing in-training exams with a BASIC Exam taken in the spring of a resident's first year of training. This is followed by CORE Exam modules, all four of which must be passed during the second and/or third year of training. These modules assess whether a candidate for certification has attained the core knowledge a practicing dermatologist is expected to have. Once all four CORE Exam modules have been passed and residency training has been completed, a candidate is eligible to sit the the APPLIED Exam, which assess how well a candidate for certification can applly their knowledge in clinical scenarios relevant to the practice of general dermatology. The first APPLIED Exam was administered in October 2021.
Also, the ABD has developed CertLink, an alternative to the high stakes exam diplomates once had to pass every 10 years. Through CertLink, diplomates access a secure portal to answer 13 questions every 3 months. The process is both educational and evaluative. Written references and online resources may be used while answering the questions and immediate feedback is provided. The CertLink exam is design to support and encourage life-long learning for dermatologists.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
American Board of Dermatology Inc
Board of directorsas of 01/24/2024
Dr. Carl Washington
Boston, MA
Term: 2023 - 2024
David M. Allen
Ogden, UT
Chris K. Bichakjian
Ann Arbor, MI
Anna L. Bruckner
Aurora, CO
Keith A. Choate
New Haven, CT
Karynne O. Duncan
St. Helena, CA
Tammie Ferringer
Danville, PA
Mercedes E. Gonzalez
Coral Gables, FL
Warren R. Heymann
Marlton, NJ
Christine J. Ko
New Haven, CT
Moise L. Levy
Austin, TX
Allison T. Vidimos
Cleveland, OH
Carl V. Washington
Decatur, GA
Jason Castillo
Clovis, CA
Delphine J. Lee
Torrance, CA
Kanade Shinkai
Ryan W. Hick
Dallas, TX
Mary Gail Mercurio
Rochester, NY
Aileen Shinaman
Milwaukee, WI
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 08/31/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.