ABMS Announces New Board of Directors and Executive Committee Members

J. Brantley Thrasher, MD, FACS Named New Board Chair

CHICAGO, July 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the leading not-for-profit organization overseeing the certification of physicians and medical specialists in the United States, announces the transition of J. Brantley Thrasher, MD, FACS to Chair of its Board of Directors (BOD). Dr. Thrasher succeeds Rebecca L. Johnson, MD, who served as Board Chair from 2023 to 2025. Dr. Johnson will now serve as Immediate Past Chair.

Dr. Thrasher has served on the ABMS BOD since 2019. He is the William L. Valk Distinguished Professor, former Chair of the Department of Urology, and the Co-Director of Operative Services at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City. Board certified by the American Board of Urology, he went on to become its Vice President and now serves as its Executive Director. Dr. Thrasher is a Past-President of the American Urological Association, the Society of Urology Chairpersons and Program Directors, and the Society of Urologic Oncology, as well as a previous member of the Residency Review Committee for Urology. In addition to giving more than 400 presentations at local, national, and international meetings, he has written 200-plus manuscripts, book chapters, and monographs in the field of urology.

"Dr. Thrasher is an experienced physician leader whose deep commitment to medical professionalism makes him exceptionally well-suited to provide strategic guidance to ABMS," said Richard E. Hawkins, MD, ABMS President and Chief Executive Officer. "We look forward to his leadership as we continue to advance board certification as the recognized mark of medical excellence and professionalism."

In addition to Dr. Thrasher and Dr. Johnson, the ABMS BOD elected the following officers to new roles in 2025:

• Chair-Elect: Susan M. Ramin, MD, former Associate Executive Director, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
  
  
• Secretary-Treasurer: Warren P. Newton, MD, MPH, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Board of Family Medicine

The ABMS BOD also welcomed the following new board members: 

• Azra Ligon, PhD, FACMG, Chief Executive Officer, American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics (February 2025)
  
  
• Furman McDonald, MD, MPH, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Board of Internal Medicine (September 2024)

ABMS is governed by a Board of Directors, which includes representation from the ABMS Member Boards and members of the public. These individuals are working and retired physicians and professionals from across the country who have a broad range of experience in patient care, health policy, business, and community service.

About ABMS
Established in 1933, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is responsible for the creation of standards overseeing physician certification in the United States. Dedicated to improving the quality of care to the patients, families, and communities they serve, the 24 ABMS Member Boards develop educational and professional standards and programs of assessment to certify physicians and medical specialists. More than 997,000 physicians and medical specialists are certified by one or more of the ABMS Member Boards in one or more of 38 specialties and 89 subspecialties. For more information about ABMS, visit abms.org or call (312) 436-2600.

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SOURCE American Board of Medical Specialties