ABIM Elects Sharon A. Levine, MD, Chair of its Subspecialty Board on Geriatric Medicine

(Philadelphia, PA), Sharon Levine, MD, Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the Boston University School of Medicine, has been named Chair of the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Subspecialty Board on Geriatric Medicine. As such, she becomes the subspecialty board's representative to ABIM's Board of Directors. Dr. Levine has been a member of the Subspecialty Board on Geriatric Medicine since 2007. ABIM sets the standards and certifies physicians practicing in internal medicine and its subspecialties who possess the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to provide high quality care.

"It has been a privilege to serve on the Geriatrics Subspecialty Board and I look forward to contributing to the Board of Directors," says Dr. Levine. "In particular, I am delighted to bring my knowledge of working as a member of an interprofessional team, something that is relevant to all internists in practice in addition to the required knowledge, attitudes and skills required for good doctoring in a diverse society and changing health care environment."

The ABIM Board of Directors, composed of physicians who are board certified in internal medicine or one of its subspecialties, guides ABIM's overall mission and direction as it works to improve health care quality. All ABIM Directors participate in ABIM's Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. MOC recognizes that what was standard treatment a decade ago may have changed and that the public needs a process to know if their physicians have kept up-to-date in their field.

ABIM's subspecialty boards are composed of experts in both academic medicine and practice, all of whom must be ABIM certified in their particular subspecialty. Members of these boards apply their individual and collective knowledge toward the development of the policies, standards and requirements for Certification and Maintenance of Certification in their subspecialty, with special focus on developing the cognitive exam that physicians must take to certify or maintain their certification in that field. The exam assesses essential diagnostic reasoning skills, evaluating whether a doctor can put together the patient's story and symptoms, make the right diagnosis and provide the appropriate care. Dr. Levine is board certified in internal medicine and geriatric medicine.

"Sharon is one of the nation's leading geriatrics educators. As a member of the subspecialty board she will now chair, she has continually brought her experience to bear in creating Certification and Maintenance of Certification programs in geriatric medicine that are current and relevant to what physicians are doing in practice," said Christine K. Cassel, MD, ABIM's President and CEO.

Dr. Levine has been awarded the 2011 Dennis W. Jahnigen Memorial Award from The American Geriatrics Society for outstanding leadership in advancing geriatrics education in health professions schools. She is the recipient of the prestigious Metcalf Cup and Prize, Boston University's highest teaching award, as well as the Department of Medicine's Robert Dawson Evans Special Recognition Teaching Award. In 2004, she received one of three mentorship awards conferred by the Society of General Internal Medicine.

Dr. Levine received her medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed her residency in internal medicine at Yale-New Haven Hospital. After teaching medicine at Yale for two years, Dr. Levine was recruited to Boston University as a faculty member in the Department of Medicine Section of Geriatrics, where she continues to teach students, residents and fellows and make home visits to frail, homebound elders and develops educational programs in geriatrics.

For media inquiries, contact Lorie Slass at 215-399-4005.

About ABIM
For 75 years, Certification by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) has stood for the highest standard in internal medicine and its 19 subspecialties and has meant that internists have demonstrated – to their peers and to the public – that they have the clinical judgment, skills and attitudes essential for the delivery of excellent patient care. ABIM is not a membership society, but a non-profit, independent evaluation organization. Our accountability is both to the profession of medicine and to the public. ABIM is a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties. For additional updates, follow ABIM on Facebook.