ABIM Elects Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, Chair of its Subspecialty Board on Infectious Disease

Philadelphia, PA, July 2, 2012 – Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, has been named Chair of the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Subspecialty Board on Infectious Disease. Currently serving as Medical Director of the Seattle STD/HIV Prevention and Training Center and Professor of Medicine, Infectious Disease at the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, Dr. Marrazzo has been a member of the Subspecialty Board on Infectious Disease since 2010. 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.

ABIM's Subspecialty Board, composed of physicians who are board certified in infectious disease, guides ABIM's overall mission and direction as it works to improve health care quality. The components of the ABIM Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program reflect the guidelines of the American Board of Medical Specialties and encompass the six general competencies established by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

"My background and continuing education as an internist fundamentally inform my ability to do my work in infectious diseases, particularly as I increasingly provide primary care to people living longer with HIV infection," said Dr. Marrazzo. "Through my work on ABIM's subspecialty board, I have an exciting and unique opportunity to impact the quality of health care we provide to our patients."

Members of the subspecialty boards are experts in both academic medicine and practice, all of whom must be ABIM certified in their particular subspecialty. Participants of these boards apply their individual and collective knowledge toward the development of the policies, standards and requirements for certification and MOC 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 how well a doctor can put together the patient's story and symptoms, make the right diagnosis and provide the appropriate care. Dr. Marrazzo is board certified in both internal medicine and infectious disease.

"Jeanne is a noted expert on infectious disease, her qualifications and dedication will help the infectious disease board as we create assessment programs that are both rigorous and robust," said Christine K. Cassel, MD, ABIM's President and CEO.

Dr. Marrazzo is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and of the Infectious Disease Society of America, and has been the Principal Investigator for numerous studies in the broad research arena of sexually transmitted infections, particularly as they relate to women's health concerns. Other major areas of research interest for Dr. Marrazzo include prevention of HIV acquisition in women, the genital microbiome, and the molecular epidemiology, pathogenesis, and management of bacterial vaginosis and related complications.

Dr. Marrazzo has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles, and written numerous book chapters. She is also the editor of a CDC-funded interactive site for education on viral hepatitis (www.hepwebstudy.org). She serves on the editorial boards of several major infectious disease journals.

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

About ABIM

For more than 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 and Twitter.