CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the not-for-profit organization that oversees physician certification in the United States, announced today the appointment of Lois Margaret Nora, MD, JD, MBA, as the organization’s new president and chief executive officer. Dr. Nora will officially assume her role on June 29, 2012, succeeding the ABMS interim chief executive Lloyd B. Morgan, who has served in the leadership post since the February 2012 departure of former ABMS president and CEO, Kevin B. Weiss, MD. In addition to her new duties as president and chief executive, Dr. Nora will join ABMS’ Board of Directors.
Dr. Nora has more than 20 years of experience in academic medicine, possessing a remarkable depth and breadth of leadership experience garnered during her career as clinician, teacher, scholar, medical school president and dean. Her scholarly work has focused on issues in medical education and the intersection of law and medicine, and she is a Board Certified neurologist. Dr. Nora also holds certificates in clinical medical ethics and medical management, expertise that aligns well with the ABMS commitment to improve health care quality, efficiency and patient safety.
“I am proud to join ABMS and look forward to advancing the organization’s role as a leading voice for physician accountability and the primary resource for consumers seeking information on physician qualifications,” Dr. Nora said.
John McCabe, MD, Chair of the ABMS Board of Directors, said that the ABMS Board selected Dr. Nora based on her outstanding academic credentials and her vision to foster the advancement of Board Certification and the ABMS Maintenance of Certification (ABMS MOC®) program.
“The ABMS Board of Directors is delighted to have Lois lead ABMS,” said Dr. McCabe. “Her passionate commitment to improving health care through excellence in medical education is a perfect complement to our mission. She will play a critical role in advancing the ABMS 2012-2015 Strategic Plan by continuing our focus on strengthening physician certification programs and increasing ABMS resources for the public. Her leadership represents the next step forward for our organization, and builds on the gains made during the tenures of Lloyd Morgan and Dr. Kevin Weiss.”
Dr. McCabe praised Morgan and Dr. Weiss for their service to ABMS, and confirmed that Morgan will remain in his post as interim chief executive until Dr. Nora officially assumes her new role.
“Dr. Nora has an impressive background in academic medicine and the development of programs aimed at fostering physician excellence,” said Dr. McCabe. “She is well qualified to take on the critical role of continuing to strengthen the Board Certification process that goes beyond a single exam to help ensure physicians’ practices keep pace with patient needs throughout their careers.”
Dr. Nora currently serves as the interim president and dean at The Commonwealth Medical College in Scranton, Penn. In this position she is responsible for institutional direction and initiatives designed to foster health care improvement in the region. Her previous leadership roles include service as the president and dean of medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University and the associate dean of academic affairs and administration and professor of neurology at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.
Dr. Nora completed her medical degree at Rush Medical College in Chicago, a law degree at the University of Chicago and a master’s degree in business administration at the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics. She completed a neurology fellowship in electromyography and neuromuscular disease and is a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.
She is Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN).
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 (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 comprise the ABMS Board Enterprise and certify nearly 800,000 physicians 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.