AMERICAN BOARD OF OTOLARYNGOLOGY Serving the Public and the Profession since 1924 BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT MICHAEL G. STEWART, MD New York, New York PRESIDENT-ELECT/TREASURER CLOUGH SHELTON, MD Salt Lake City, Utah DIRECTORS JEFFREY M. BUMPOUS, MD Louisville, Kentucky C. RON CANNON, MD Jackson, Mississippi DAVID W. EISELE, MD Baltimore, MD RAMON M. ESCLAMADO, MD Durham, North Carolina EDWARD H. FARRIOR, MD Tampa, Florida C. GAELYN GARRETT, MD Nashville, Tennessee MARLEN R. HANSEN, MD Iowa City, Iowa RONALD B. KUPPERSMITH, MD College Station, Texas IRA D. PAPEL, MD Baltimore, Maryland STEPHEN S. PARK, MD Charlottesville, Virginia JOHN S. RHEE, MD Milwaukee, Wisconsin KATHLEEN C. Y. SIE, MD Seattle, Washington TIMOTHY L. SMITH, MD, MPH Portland, Oregon STEVEN A. TELIAN, MD Ann Arbor, Michigan MARK C. WEISSLER, MD Chapel Hill, North Carolina D. BRADLEY WELLING, MD, PhD Boston, Massachusetts EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ROBERT H. MILLER, MD, MBA Houston, Texas ADMINISTRATOR DIANA L. HARRELL December 4, 2017 Lois Nora, MD, JD, MBA ABMS 353 North Clark Street, Suite 1400 Chicago, Illinois 60654 Dear Dr. Nora, 5615 KIRBY DRIVE, SUITE 600 HOUSTON, TEXAS 77005-2444 PHONE (713) 850-0399 FAX (713) 850-1104 WEBSITE: www.aboto.org I m writing in follow-up to my letter of November 21, 2017 regarding our desire to change the name of our board to The American Board of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. By way of this letter, I would like to provide documentation that supports the name change. The name Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery is now quite ubiquitous in medicine, and accurately reflects the specialty. I include the following examples by area: SOCIETIES The term is included in the names of the major specialty societies: American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery The AAO-HNS is the main specialty society of which virtually all our diplomates are members. Society of University Otolaryngologists Head and Neck Surgery The SUO-HNS members are those who are in academic practice. Association of Academic Departments of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery AADO-HNS is the association of the academic departments of otolaryngology head and neck surgery. In addition to the specialty societies, the term Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery is used by the major medical associations: Founding Member of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS)
The American College of Surgeons recognizes the term, and its advisory council for the specialty is the Advisory Council for Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. The American Medical Association section council is the Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Section Council. Furthermore, the American Head and Neck Society is the 1998 amalgamation of the American Head and Neck Society, which was comprised primarily of otolaryngologists, and the Society of Head and Neck Surgeons whose members were primarily general surgeons and plastic surgeons. The AHNS has proved to be a great collaborative effort that has improved the education of head and neck surgeons as well as providing oversight of their accredited fellowships. Currently, the eight members of the AHNS Council are all otolaryngologists head and neck surgeons. JOURNALS The American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery publishes its monthly journal, and its title is Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. The American Medical Association s publication in the specialty is JAMA Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery The main journal for individuals who specialize in head and neck surgery is a Wiley publication, Head and Neck. Its editor is Ehab Y. Hanna, MD who is an otolaryngologist head and neck surgeon. TEXTBOOKS There are multiple textbooks in the specialty which contain the term otolaryngology head and neck surgery. Bailey s Head and Neck Surgery: Otolaryngology Cummings Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Ballenger's Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Sataloff's Comprehensive Textbook of Otolaryngology: Head & Neck Surgery Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery: Clinical Reference Guide Operative Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery, 2-Volume Set Current Diagnosis & Treatment Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery
MEDICAL SCHOOL DEPARTMENTS There are 107 United States academic departments with ACGME-accredited training programs, 82 (77%) of which are named Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery or include Head and Neck Surgery in their titles. CERTIFICATE In concert with the change in the name of the ABOto, we will change the name of the board to The American Board of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery on the primary certificate as well as replace the following paragraph on the current certificate: has pursued an accepted course of graduate study, clinical work, and has successfully passed an examination in Otolaryngology including General Otolaryngology, Otology, Facial Plastic Surgery, Head and Neck Surgery, and Pediatric Otolaryngology. with the new paragraph: has pursued an accepted course of graduate study, clinical work, and has successfully passed an examination in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery including General Otolaryngology, Otology, Facial Plastic Surgery, and Pediatric Otolaryngology. There will be no alteration of the subcertification certificates in Neurotology, Sleep Medicine, and Complex Pediatric Otolaryngology other than changing the name of the board to The American Board of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. The new certificates would be issued to the first certifying group after the change has been approved by the ABMS. The new certificate would also be offered to our current diplomates as an option of their choosing. The ABOto believes that the proposed name change is consistent with the modern practice and current naming of the specialty. The ABOto wants to make clear that the name change does not imply that otolaryngologists head and neck surgeons are the only surgeons qualified to perform head and neck surgery. There are diplomates of the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery who are qualified to and perform head and neck surgery. If there is any additional information that you need for this change, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Robert H Miller, MD
Proposed Certificate