Who is the ABOHNS?

Board of Directors 2022

The ABOHNS Board of Directors helps establish the strategic direction and sets the policies that guide the board in all its activities. Members are elected by the board based on personal qualities, leadership abilities, collegiality, previous engagement with the ABOHNS activities and initiatives, as well as geography and diversity. Each member lends their unique expertise and experience to the leadership of the board, serving and working in tandem with standing committees including Credentials and Ethics, Exam, Continuing Certification, Information and Liaison, Finance, Audit, Education, and Strategic Planning. The board of directors is comprised of 18 directors and each is eligible to serve two consecutive five-year terms. All directors serve as volunteers, except for a few that receive a small honorarium based on the large amount of work required to fulfill their roles and responsibilities.  

Board of Directors

C. Gaelyn Garrett, MD, MMHC, President
Nashville, Tennessee

Jeffrey M. Bumpous, MD, President-Elect
Louisville, Kentucky

Kathleen C. Y. Sie, MD, Past-President
Seattle, Washington

Ronald B. Kuppersmith, MD, MBA, Treasurer
College Station, Texas

John P. Carey, MD
Baltimore, Maryland

Edward H. Farrior, MD
Tampa, Florida

Howard W. Francis, MD, MBA
Durham, North Carolina

Marlan R. Hansen, MD
Iowa City, Iowa

Sonya Malekzadeh, MD
Washington, DC

Bradley Marple, MD
Dallas, Texas

Andrew H. Murr, MD
San Francisco, California

Cherie-Ann O. Nathan, MD
Shreveport, Louisiana 

Krishna G. Patel, MD, PhD
Charleston, South Carolina

Jennifer Parker Porter, MD
Bethesda, Maryland

Timothy L. Smith, MD, MPH
Portland, Oregon

Travis Tollefson, MD, MPH
Sacramento, California

Gregory J. Wiet, MD
Columbus, Ohio

 

The ABOHNS physician volunteers serve in a combination of appointed and elected positions, lending their experience and skills to many board-related functions and initiatives. The Oral Exam process in particular, so vital to the board’s mission, is made possible by the hard work and dedication of our leadership team and more than 200 volunteers. Most volunteers begin their experience with the ABOHNS as Item Writers, and from there have the opportunity to serve as Oral Examiners, Senior Examiners, committee and task force members, as well as members of the board of directors.  

 

The ABOHNS Senior Councilors are distinguished volunteers who have completed their terms of service on the board of directors. While no specific duties are associated with this honorary position, Senior Councilors have gained a deep understanding of the purpose, goals, and values of the board through their many years of involvement with board activities at every level of the organization, and are available to provide strategic advice and consultation.

 

Senior Councilors  
Byron J. Bailey, MD
Galveston, Texas
Gerald S. Berke, MD
Pacific Palisades, California
C. Ron Cannon, MD
Brandon, MIssissippi
Robert W. Cantrell, MD
Charlottesville, Virginia
Richard A. Chole, MD, Ph.D
St. Louis, Missouri
Roger L. Crumley, MD, MBA
Orange, California
Charles W. Cummings, MD
Baltimore, Maryland
Ramon M. Esclamado, MD, MS
Durham, North Carolina
David W. Eisele, MD
Baltimore, Maryland
Willard E. Fee, Jr., MD
Redwood City, California
Ellen M. Friedman, MD
Houston, Texas
Bruce J. Gantz, MD
Iowa City, Iowa
A. Julianna Gulya, MD
Locust Grove, Virginia
James A. Hadley, MD
Naples, Florida
Gerald B. Healy, MD
Wellesley, Massachusetts
Peter A. Hilger, MD
Edina, Minnesota
G. Richard Holt, MD, MPH, MABE, DBE
San Antonio, Texas
Michael E. Johns, MD
Atlanta, Georgia
Herbert C. Jones, MD
Atlanta, Georgia
Paul R. Lambert, MD
Charleston, South Carolina
Wayne F. Larrabee, Jr., MD
Seattle, Washington
Paul A. Levine, MD
Charlottesville, Virginia
Jesus E. Medina, MD
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Robert H. Miller, MD, MBA
Houston, Texas
Richard T. Miyamoto, MD
Indianapolis, Indiana
Eugene N. Myers, MD
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
H. Bryan Neel, III, MD, Ph.D
Rochester, Minnesota
Robert H. Ossoff, MD, DMD
Nashville, Tennessee
Ira D. Papel, MD
Baltimore, Maryland
Stephen S. Park, MD
Charlottesville, Virginia
Harold C. Pillsbury, III, MD
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
John S. Rhee, MD, MPH
Milkwaukee, Wisconsin
Robert J. Ruben, MD
Bronx, New York
David E. Schuller, MD
Columbus, Ohio
Clough Shelton, MD
Salt Lake City, Utah
Michael G. Stewart, MD, MPH
New York, New York
M. Eugene Tardy, Jr., MD
Naples, Florida
Steven A. Telian, MD
Ann Arbor, Michigan
James N. Thompson, MD
Davidson, North Carolina
Dean M. Toriumi, MD
Chicago, Illinois
Neil O. Ward, MD
Phoenix, Arizona
Randal S. Weber, MD
Houston, Texas
Mark C. Weissler, MD
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Gayle E. Woodson, MD
Merritt Island, Florida

 

The ABOHNS Exam Council is composed of volunteers who lend their diverse personal and professional experience to preparation and administration of exams, as well as development of exam content. Members of the Exam Council are elected, and those who serve are eligible for nomination to be a director. There are 51 Exam Council positions and the group has representation from all specialty practice areas. Each Exam Council member serves a three-year term, with up to two consecutive terms permitted.  

Exam Council Members  
Moises A. Arriaga, MD, MBA
Marrero, Louisiana
Nikolas H. Blevins, MD
Stanford, California
Jonathan Bock, MD
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Trinitia Y. Cannon, MD
Durham, North Carolina
Rakesh Chandra, MD, MMHC
Nashville, Tennessee
David H. Chi, MD
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
John J. Chrisophel, MD
Charlottesville, Virginia
Robert H. Chun, MD
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Joseph M. Clark, MD
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chris Discolo, MD, MSCR
Indianapolis, Indiana
Marc Dubin, MD
Towson, MD
Eric J. Dobratz, MD
Norfolk, Virginia
Carole Fakhry, MD MPH
Baltimore, Maryland
David O. Francis, MD
Madison Wisconsin   
Alexander Gelbard, MD
Nashville, Tennessee
Paul W. Gidley, MD
Houston Texas
Steven Goudy, MD
Atlanta, Georgia
Jed Grisel, MD
Wichita Falls, TX
Nathan W. Hales, MD
San Antonio, Texas
Amy C. Hessel, MD
Houston, Texas
Brandon Isaacson, MD
Dallas, Texas
Stacey L. Ishman, MD, MPH
Cincinnati, Ohio
Gina Jefferson, MD, MS
Jackson, MS
Stephanie A. Joe, MD
Chicago, Illinois
Michael M. Johns, III, MD
Los Angeles, California
Romaine F. Johnson, MD, MPH
Irving, Texas
Lamont Jones, MD, MBA
Detroit, MI
Joseph E. Kerschner, MD
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Brad Kesser, MD
Charlottesville, VA
Samir S. Khariwala, MD
Edina, Minnesota
P. Daniel Knott, MD
San Francisco, California
Greg A. Krempl, MD
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
John D. Kriet, MD
Kansas City, Kansas
Charles Limb, MD
San Francisco, California
Robin W. Lindsay, MD
Winchester, Massachusetts
Amber U. Luong, MD, Ph.D
Houston, Texas
Chris McMains, MD
San Antonio, TX
Anna H. Messner, MD
Houston, Texas
Tanya K. Meyer, MD
Seattle, Washington
Jeffrey S. Moyer, MD
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Shawn D. Newlands, MD, Ph.D, MBA
Rochester, New York
Johns S. Oghalai, MD
Los Angeles, California
Julina Ongkasuwan, MD
Houston, Texas
Ashli K. O'Rourke, MD
Charleston, South Carolina
Alpen Patel, MD
Baltimore, Maryland
Dennis S. Poe, MD, Ph.D
Boston, Massachusetts
David Poetker, MD, MA
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Diego A. Preciado, MD, Ph.D
Washington, DC
Ravi N. Samy, MD
Cincinnati, Ohio
Gavin Setzen, MD
Albany, New York
Jennifer Shin, MD, SM
Boston, Massachusetts
Taha Z. Shipchandler, MD
Indianapolis, Indiana
Richard V. Smith, MD
Bronx, New York
Masayoshi Takashima, MD
Houston, Texas
Theodoros N. Teknos, MD
Cleveland, Ohio
Marc C. Thorne, MD, MPH
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Elizabeth Toh, MD
Burlington, MA
George Wanna, MD
New York, New York
David R. White, MD
Charleston, South Carolina
Catherine P. Winslow, MD
Carmel, Indiana
Sarah Wise, MD
Atlanta, GA
Troy Woodard, MD
Cleveland, Ohio
Charles Woodard, MD
Durham, NC
Wendell G. Yarbrough, MD, MMHC
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

 

The ABOHNS Oral Examiners perform the essential role of conducting the Oral Certifying Examinations, which all Otolaryngologist - Head and Neck Surgeons are required to pass to become board certified (see About Our Certifications). During an Exam administration, Oral Examiners spend two days administering the Exam to candidates, and an additional half-day of training and review of protocols. More than 200 Oral Examiners help administer the Oral Certifying Exam each year and their dedicated involvement is critical to the success of the certification process. Oral Examiners are appointed by the board of directors from nominations received as well as a review of all eligible volunteers based on prior service to the ABOHNS. 

The ABOHNS Item Writers are members of either the Task Force for New Materials or Complex Pediatric Otolaryngology Item Writing Workgroup. These volunteers are essential contributors to the exam process. Appointed by the board of directors, they create, review, and revise the multiple choice questions used for the resident inservice exams, written qualifying exams, and continuing certification assessments (see About Our Certifications). Item Writers submit questions monthly for six-months each year during their three-year term. More than 70 Item Writers are active at any given time. 

 

 

 

2021-2022 Item Writers  
Meredith Adams, MD
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Robbi Kupfer, MD
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Samantha Anne, MD
Cleveland, Ohio
Stephen Lai, MD
Houston, Texas
Jastin Antisdel, MD
St. Louis, Missouri
Jessyka Lighthall, MD
Hershey, Pennsylvania
Cristina Baldassari, MD
Norfolk, Virginia
Maria de Lourdes, MD
Portland, Oregon
Halton Beumer, MD
Las Vegas, Nevada
Miriam Loyo, MD
Portland, Oregon
Deidrea Blanks, MD
Fayetteville, North Carolina
G. Nina Lu, MD
Seattle, Washington
Chuck Bower, MD
Little Rock, Virginia
Carol MacArthur, MD
Portland, Oregon
Matthew Brigger, MD
San Diego, California
Kibwei McKinney, MD
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Christina Cabrera-Muffly, MD
Aurora, Colorado
Ted McRackan, MD
Charleston, South Carolina
Richard Cannon, MD
Salt Lake City, Utah
Anna Messner, MD
Houston, Texas
Eric Cerrati, MD
Salt Lake City, Utah
Stephanie Misono, MD
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Kenny Chan, MD
Denver, Colorado
Christie Morgan, MD
Detroit, Michigan
Jeffrey Cheng, MD
Durham, North Carolina
Rick Nelson, MD
Indianapolis, Indiana
Sukgi Choi, MD
Boston, Massachusetts 
Brendan O'Connell, MD
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Robert Chun, MD
Milwaukee, Minnesota
Samip Patel, MD
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Daniel Coelho, MD
Richmond, Virginia
Brian Perry, MD
San Antonio, Texas
Maura Cosetti, MD
New York, New York
Michael Platt, MD
Boston, Massachusetts
John Dahl, MD
Seattle, Washington
Kevin Potts, MD
Louisville, Kentucky
Shaun Desai, MD
Baltimore, Maryland
Diego Preciado, MD
Washington, D.C.
Kara Detwiller, MD
Portland, Oregon
Jason Rich, MD
St. Louis, Missouri
Vaninder Dhillon, MD
Baltimore, Maryland
Brianne Roby, MD
Minneapolis, Minnesota
German Digoy, MD
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Daniel Rocke, MD
Durham, North Carolina
Megan Durr, MD
Oakland, California
Sarah Rhode, MD
Nashville, Tennesee
Ravindhra Elluru, MD
Dayton, Ohio
Jack Schleiffarth, MD
Rapid City, South Dakota
Carrie Francis, MD
Kansas City, Kansas
Scott Schoem, MD
Farmington, Connecticut
Alex Gelbard, MD
Nashville, Tennessee
Sophie Shay, MD
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Steven Goudy, MD
Atlanta, Georgia
David Shonka, MD
Charlottesville, Virginia
Ashleigh Halderman, MD
Dallas, Texas
Kathleen Sie, MD
Seattle, Washington
Angela Haskins, MD
Charleston, South Carolina
Richard Smith, MD
Iowa City, Iowa
Chase Heaton, MD
San Francisco, California
Jessica Smyth, MD
Fr. Bragg, North Carolina
Alexander Hillil, MD
Baltimore, Maryland
Konstantina Stankovic, MD
Palo Alto, California
Paul Hoff, MD
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Scott Stephan, MD
Nashville, Tennessee
David Horn, MD
Seattle, Washington
Marita Teng, MD
New York, New York
Clinton Humphrey, MD
Kansas City, Kansas
Marc Thorne, MD
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Jacob Hunter, MD
Dallas, Texas
Julia Toman, MD
Tampa, Florida
Stacey Ishman, MD
Cincinnati, Ohio
Jennifer Villwock, MD
Kansas City, Kansas
Noel Jabour, MD
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Courtney Voelker, MD
Los Angeles, California
Ofer Jacobovitz, MD
New York, New York
Courtney Voelker, MD
Los Angeles, California
Romaine Johnson, MD
Dallas, Texas
Cameron Wick, MD
St. Louis, Missouri
Russel Kahmke, MD
Durham, North Carolina
David White, MD
Charleston, South Carolina
Ken Kazahaya, MD
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cameron Wick, MD
St. Louis, Missouri
Amit Kochhar, MD
Santa Monica, California
Gregory Wiet, MD
Columbus, Ohio
  Shiayin Yang, MD
Nashville, Tennessee
  Chad Zender, MD
Cleveland, Ohio
  Carlton Zdanski, MD
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

 

Our staff members are here to support physicians and uphold our mission. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions you may have.

Administration

Nussenbaum
Brian Nussenbaum, MD, MHCM
Executive Director
bn@abohns.org

Steve Telian
Steve Telian, MD
Associate Executive Director
sat@abohns.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diana Harrell
Diana Harrell
Administrator
dlh@abohns.org
 
Michelle Ortiz
Michelle Ortiz
Administrative Assistant
mo@abohns.org

Carla Medlenka
Carla Medlenka
Communications Specialist
cam@abohns.org
Giovanni Pedroza
Giovanni Pedroza
Director of IT
gp@abohns.org
 

 


Exam Development

Heather Burnett
Heather Burnett
Senior Content Coordinator
hib@abohns.org
Catherine Landicho
Catherine Landicho
Content Coordinator
cvl@abohns.org
 


Training Programs / Otolaryngology Training Exam

Shannon Lamkin
Shannon Lamkin
Senior Resident Coodinator
sll@abohns.org
 

 


Primary & Subspecialty Certification

Rosa La Neve
Rosa La Neve
Certification Coordinator
rml@abohns.org

 
Aliyah Forte
Aliyah Forte
Subspecialty Coordinator / Continuing Certification
abf@abohns.org

 


Continuing Certification

Amar Preet
Amar Preet
Continuing Certification Specialist
ap@abohns.org

 


Group