San Antonio (Nov. 23, 2004) – Abraham Verghese, M.D., D.Sc. (Hon), the Marvin Forland Distinguished Professor of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and director of the university’s Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics, recently was appointed to the board of directors of the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Dr. Verghese, who is board-certified to practice internal medicine, pulmonary diseases and infectious diseases, is an award-winning author whose essays appear in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and many other publications. At the Health Science Center, he and Associate Director, Dr. Therese Jones are at the forefront of educating tomorrow’s physicians through an integrated, four-year humanities and ethics curriculum that reminds students to “imagine the patient’s experience.” They have brought in nationally recognized authors and ethicists to meet and challenge students.
The American Board of Internal Medicine is the only board with authority to certify internal medicine physicians, who constitute a substantial percentage of U.S. physicians. The Board is one of 24 certifying boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties.
Board members are “nationally recognized leaders in medical education, clinical practice, academic medicine, and research,” according to the Board’s Web site. “The Board establishes the requirements for certification and recertification, creates its examinations, strives to improve training, and contributes to setting the standards for internal medicine.”