American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) Director of Learning Pathways
The American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) serves the public and the field of Obesity Medicine by maintaining standards for assessment and credentialing physicians. As a board certification program, ABOM may be best recognized for its certification examination, but the organization has other key roles. ABOM is responsible for setting prerequisite criteria for physicians to be eligible to take the exam, which may include educational background, skills, and experiences. As a board certification program, ABOM does not provide any education or training to candidates – ABOM instead relies upon its primary educational partners to provide education and training in obesity medicine. ABOM also determines and manages the continuing certification pathways available to ABOM Diplomates, which currently includes the Journal Article Review Recertification Pathway (JARRP) or the exam recertification pathway.
Purpose:
The ABOM Director of Learning Pathways is expected to have expert clinical knowledge, skill and ability in the field of Obesity Medicine. They will provide leadership to the organization in partnership with the Executive Director, other ABOM staff, and the Board of Directors that has the potential to impact the field of Obesity Medicine broadly. The ABOM Director of Learning Pathways will be responsible for the evaluation of ABOM’s primary educational partners (PEPs) and their Core Obesity Medicine Continuing Medication Education (CME) activities through leading the PEP Review Committee. They will also oversee the continuing certification pathways, which will include oversight of the JARRP committee, evaluation and support for the exam recertification pathway, as well as supporting initiatives to improve ABOM’s continuing certification pathways. They will serve as an expert in Obesity Medicine for healthcare and lay audiences. Their responsibilities will also include external engagement, ABOM Diplomate engagement, and operations. The ABOM Director of Learning Pathways reports directly to the ABOM Executive Director.
Primary Responsibilities:
This job description is intended to provide a general overview of the job requirements at this time. As with any position, the job requirements may change over time and include additional responsibilities not described below.
Evaluation of Primary Educational Partners and Core Obesity Medicine CME (30-35%)
- Act as a primary source of knowledge regarding all policies and procedures regarding PEP organizations and Core Obesity Medicine CME
- Attend all meetings with PEP organizations
- Act as the primary point-of-contact with PEP organizations
- Ensure timely communication with PEP organizations
- Create and share a report for each PEP organization annually
- Maintain and periodically update the memorandum of understanding and any associated documents (e.g., exhibits) with each PEP organization
- Attend and lead all PEP Review Committee meetings
- Develop and lead training events for PEP Review Committee members
- Oversee and support members of the PEP Review Committee in evaluating PEP applications, Core Obesity Medicine CME applications, and Core Obesity Medicine CME audits
- Ensure materials that outline standard application review and auditing practices for ABOM remain up to date
- Maintain a diverse team through strategic recruitment of new committee members; Intentionally develop talent and future leadership
- Nurture an environment that promotes high-performing committee members through training, feedback, and clear communication
- Ensure information provided to candidates regarding prerequisite educational requirements and PEP organizations is up to date
Continuing Certification Programs (30-35%)
- Act as a primary source of knowledge regarding all policies and procedures regarding ABOM continuing certification pathways
- Collaborate with the ABOM Director of Programs to support JARRP, including review and final approval of all JARRP articles and JARRP items
- Obtain access to journal articles, including those available through open access as well as those requiring subscription or purchase
- Collaborate with the Director of Programs to ensure all JARRP activities are in compliance with ACCME accreditation requirements, as administered through ABOM’s joint CME provider, including annual reporting requirements
- Attend all JARRP Committee meetings
- Develop and lead training events for JARRP Committee members
- Act as a primary source of knowledge regarding best practices for JARRP item development
- Support members of the JARRP Committee in evaluating peer-reviewed publications and writing JARRP items
- Ensure materials that outline standard JARRP item writing practices remain up to date
- Maintain a diverse team through strategic recruitment of new committee members; Intentionally develop talent and future leadership
- Collaborate with the ABOM Director of Physician Relations to support the exam recertification pathway
- Ensure information provided to exam recertification candidates regarding eligibility requirements is up to date
- Collaborate with the ABOM Executive Director to lead improvement initiatives for the continuing certification pathways
External Engagement (5-10%)
- Establish and maintain relationships with key providers of Obesity Medicine education and training (i.e., PEP organizations, Obesity Medicine Fellowship Council)
- Collaborate with ABOM Foundation Chief Medical Officer on professional development and educational initiatives related to obesity medicine, which may include research on ABOM Diplomates
- Monitor and remain up to date on advancements in the field of Obesity Medicine
- Raise awareness of Obesity Medicine and promote ABOM among practicing physicians in the U.S. and Canada
ABOM Diplomate Engagement (5-10%)
- Develop and maintain relationships with ABOM Diplomates to identify gaps and needs that may be addressed by continuing certification
- Raise awareness of opportunities for ABOM service among talented Diplomates
Operations (5-10%)
- Attend all Board of Directors’ meetings
- Participate in weekly ABOM staff meetings (virtual, ~60 minutes)
- Ensure timely and transparent communication with other ABOM staff and the Board of Directors
- Participate in the development of ABOM policies or documents
- Review and manage conflicts of interest for PEP Review Committee members and JARRP Committee members in accordance with the ABOM Conflict-of-Interest policy
Minimum Qualification Requirements:
- Leadership experience in medical education (e.g., course director, fellowship director), particularly in Obesity Medicine, within the last 5 years
- Demonstrated ability to critically evaluate and appraise scientific research, particularly peer-review clinical research publications
- At least 5 years of clinical experience in the field of Obesity Medicine
- Expert knowledge, skills and abilities outlined in the ABOM Content Outline
- Demonstrated ability to build and support effective teams
- Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), or equivalent
- Completion of residency training in internal medicine, family medicine or pediatrics in the U.S. or Canada
- Current Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine in good standing
- Have and maintain active board certification in an American Board of Medical Specialties member board or osteopathic equivalent
- Have and maintain an active, unrestricted medical license in the U.S.
- Must be in the U.S.
Additional Preferences:
- Prior advanced training in medical education or curriculum development (e.g., medical education fellowship)
- Experience in medical education research or evaluation, particularly peer-reviewed publications
- Prior education or training in clinical research methodologies (e.g., study design, outcomes, biostatistics, epidemiology)
- Prior experience in item writing
- Problem-solving abilities
- Strong communication and public speaking skills with healthcare audiences
- Ability to network effectively among peers
Other Information:
- Protected time must be allocated for ABOM activities (e.g., ABOM directly contributes salary support to the primary institution to ensure protected time)
- Part time role: 20 hours per month or .15 FTE
- Some domestic travel will be required several times per year to ABOM meetings (e.g., Board of Directors’ meetings) or PEP events (e.g., live Core Obesity Medicine CME events, meetings with PEP organizations)
- This position is subject to ABOM’s conflict-of-interest requirements, particularly academic and leadership activities with PEP organizations will be limited
- Interested candidates should submit a letter of intent and CV by November 7, 2025, to ABOM Executive Director Dana Brittan at brittan@abom.org.