Executives
- Christine K. Cassel, MD, MACP, President and CEO of ABIM & ABIM Foundation
- Elizabeth E. Blaylock, VP of PIM Development
- Eric S. Holmboe, MD, CMO and Senior VP
- William F. Iobst, MD, VP of Academic Affairs
- Lynn O. Langdon, Senior VP of Operations and COO
- Rebecca S. Lipner, PhD, VP of Psychometrics and Research Analysis
- Vincent J. Mandes, MBA, Senior VP of Finance and CFO
- Paul A. Poniatowski, VP of Test Development
- Lorie Slass, VP of Communications
Christine K. Cassel, MD, MACP, President and CEO of ABIM & ABIM Foundation
Christine K. Cassel, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the ABIM Foundation, is a leading expert in geriatric medicine, medical ethics and quality of care.
Dr. Cassel is one of 20 scientists chosen by President Barack Obama to serve on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), which advises the President in areas where an understanding of science, technology and innovation is key to forming responsible and effective policy. She is the co-chair and physician leader of a PCAST working group that made recommendations to the President on issues relating to health information technology.
In addition to having chaired influential Institute of Medicine reports on end-of-life care and public health, in the spring of 2009, Dr. Cassel also served on the IOM's Comparative Effective Research Committee mandated by Congress to set priorities for the national CER effort. In 2010, Modern Healthcare named Dr. Cassel among the 50 most powerful physicians and ranked among the top 100 most powerful people in health care in 2009. An active scholar and lecturer, she is the author or co-author of 14 books and more than 150 journal articles on geriatric medicine, aging, bioethics and health policy. She edited four editions of Geriatric Medicine, the leading textbook in the field. Her most recent book is Medicare Matters: What Geriatric Medicine Can Teach American Health Care.
A national leader in efforts to inspire quality care, Dr. Cassel represents ABMS on the National Quality Forum's National Priorities Partnership, is a member of the Commonwealth Fund's Commission on a High Performance Health System, and served on the IOM committees that wrote the influential reports To Err is Human and Crossing the Quality Chasm. She was appointed by President Clinton to the President's Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry in 1997.
Dr. Cassel is also respected as a scientific leader, having served on the Advisory Committee to the NIH Director, 1995 – 2002, and as President of the American Federation for Aging Research. She is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine. Dr. Cassel is former dean of the School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at Oregon Health and Science University, chair of the Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, and chief of General Internal Medicine at the University of Chicago.
TopElizabeth E. Blaylock, VP of PIM Development
Elizabeth E. Blaylock is Vice President of PIM Development at ABIM. In this capacity, she oversees the Self-Assessment of Practice Performance component of the ABIM Maintenance of Certification program.
Before joining ABIM, Ms. Blaylock was a management consultant with more than 15 years of experience in diverse healthcare settings. She was senior manager at the Center for Applied Research, where she provided strategic planning and organizational design services to clients in the health care and professional services fields. Among her clients was ABIM, for which Ms. Blaylock helped to develop a strategic plan in 2006. Prior to her work with Center for Applied Research, she was engagement manager at McKinsey & Company, where she consulted on strategy setting and operational improvement to organizations in the health care, financial services and telecommunications industries. She also served as Coordinator of Affiliate Development for International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, and as Program Manager for Mutual Assistance Associations with The Massachusetts Office of Refugee Resettlement.
Ms. Blaylock earned master's degrees in international relations and public/private management from Yale University, and a bachelor's degree in social studies from Harvard University, where she graduated magna cum laude.
TopEric S. Holmboe, MD, CMO and Senior VP
Dr. Holmboe, a board certified internist, is Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Senior Vice President of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the ABIM Foundation. He is also Professor Adjunct of Medicine at Yale University, and Adjunct Professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
Prior to joining the ABIM in 2004, he was the Associate Program Director, Yale Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency Program, and Director of Student Clinical Assessment, Yale School of Medicine. Before joining Yale in 2000, he served as Division Chief of General Internal Medicine at the National Naval Medical Center.
His research interests include interventions to improve quality of care and methods in the evaluation of clinical competence. A frequently-requested speaker, he is the author of more than 100 peer-reviewed articles in professional journals, including: Annals of Internal Medicine, Journal of General Internal Medicine, American Journal of Medicine Health Affairs and Journal of the American Medical Association. Dr. Holmboe is currently a member of the board of the National Board of Medical Examiners and Medbiquitous, and serves a consultant for the Drug Safety and Risk Management Subcommittee of the Pharmaceutical Science Advisory Committee for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. His professional memberships include the American College of Physicians, where he is a Fellow, Society of General Internal Medicine and Association of Medical Education in Europe; he was recently selected as an honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in London.
Dr. Holmboe is a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College and the University of Rochester School of Medicine. He completed his residency and chief residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital, and was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar at Yale University.
TopWilliam F. Iobst, MD, VP of Academic Affairs
William F. Iobst, MD, a board certified rheumatologist, is Vice President of Academic Affairs for the American Board of Internal Medicine. In this capacity, Dr. Iobst develops outreach activities with residency and fellowship training programs as well as faculty development programs and oversees the credentialing of ABIM diplomates. He also works with ABIM's research team to develop new and better assessment methodologies for competency evaluation. A practicing physician, Dr. Iobst continues to see rheumatology patients at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, PA on a weekly basis.
Previously, Dr. Iobst served as Designated Institutional Official and Medical Director of Graduate Medical Education at Lehigh Valley Hospital Network in Allentown, PA. He was also the Vice Chairman of Education for the Department of Medicine, and served as the Medical Director for Network Faculty Development and as an Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency. Prior to assuming these responsibilities, he served Lehigh Valley Hospital as the Program Director for the Internal Medicine and Transitional Residency Programs and as an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey, PA.
Dr. Iobst is a graduate of Bucknell University and Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. He completed his residency at Robert Packer Hospital, and his rheumatology fellowship at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
TopLynn O. Langdon, Senior VP of Operations and COO
Lynn O. Langdon is Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the American Board of Internal Medicine, with oversight of human resources, test development, psychometrics, PIM development, and registration. She provides leadership in the development and implementation of the organization’s policies, initiatives, objectives and strategic plans.
Ms Langdon has assumed a variety of roles in her more than 35 years at ABIM. Prior to her appointment as COO, she served as Vice President for Subspecialty Internal Medicine for ABIM and Vice President for Policy and Planning of the ABIM Foundation. From her initial position in the organization as ABIM's first in-house examination editor, she played an instrumental role in the creation of the test development department and in the establishment of the processes and procedures related to ABIM’s examination development and operations. For several years, she directed the development and production of ABIM's examinations, including the secure certification and recertification examinations as well as the cognitive evaluation modules of the self-evaluation process for Maintenance of Certification (MOC). She was integral to the development and implementation of ABIM's MOC program.
Ms Langdon is an ABIM Voting Representative to the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and has been involved in various aspects of ABMS activities for more than 20 years. She was recently elected to serve on the ABMS Committee on Oversight and Monitoring of Maintenance of Certification.
Her prior work experience includes positions held at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia medical library and at the National Board of Medical Examiners.
Ms. Langdon earned her undergraduate degree from Dickinson College and has a master's degree in Measurement and Evaluation Techniques of Educational Research from the University of Pennsylvania.
TopRebecca S. Lipner, PhD, VP of Psychometrics and Research Analysis
Dr. Rebecca S. Lipner is Vice President of Psychometrics and Research Analysis for the American Board of Internal Medicine, where she oversees the scoring, statistical analysis, standard-setting, equating, security and evaluation of measurement properties for ABIM assessment products including innovative items types such as procedural simulation. She also oversees quantitative research analysis ranging from internal medicine workforce trends to health outcomes research. In her previous role as Director of Psychometrics for ABIM, she was involved in the implementation of new programs in maintenance of certification and computer-based testing.
Dr. Lipner was Director of Psychometrics at The Institute for Clinical Evaluation from 1999 to 2001, where she was responsible for managing all psychometric activity for standard setting, scoring, statistical analysis and reporting of examination results. Prior to joining ABIM, she held a variety of teaching and faculty positions at Drexel University, St. Joseph's University and the University of Pittsburgh, where she taught undergraduate and graduate courses in statistics, tests and measurement, experimental design, systems analysis and design, and expert systems.
Dr. Lipner received the Research in Medical Education T. Hale Ham Award for New Investigators in 2003. She was also awarded a Sigma XI Research Grants-in-Aid of Research award and The Drexel University Chapter of Sigma XI: First College of Information Studies Prize in 1993.
Her research interests include computer-adaptive testing, Bayesian methodology, high-stakes testing and assessment, univariate/multivariate statistical modeling, experimental design and the use of simulators in medical education. Dr. Lipner is a frequent speaker on these subjects and is widely published in professional journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association, Annals of Internal Medicine, Academic Medicine, Applied Measurement in Education and the Journal of Educational Measurement.
Dr. Lipner received a doctorate in Information Systems from Drexel University and a master's degree in Quantitative Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. She graduated summa cum laude from City College of New York, where she received a bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Psychology. She is a member of the American Educational Research Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, Generalists in Medical Education, National Council on Measurement in Education and the Association of Test Publishing, where she served as Program Committee Chair and Vice-Chair from 2006-8. She currently chairs the American Board of Medical Specialties Psychometric Advisory Group.
TopVincent J. Mandes, MBA, Senior VP of Finance and CFO
Vincent Mandes, a seasoned financial management professional with a strong background in strategic planning and business development, is Senior Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the American Board of Internal Medicine and the ABIM Foundation. He directs activities associated with the security and investment of the assets and funds of both organizations and is responsible for providing overall direction for the accounting, tax, insurance, budget, credit and treasury functions. Additionally, he ensures that financial transactions, policies and procedures meet organization short- and long-term objectives, as well as regulatory requirements. He also supervises ABIM's Business Services department.
Previously, Mr. Mandes served as Vice President of Finance at Lincoln Investment Planning, Inc., where he managed all aspects of financial activities: treasury, cash management, taxes, forecasts, risk management, and coordination of independent third party professional services. Before that, he spent twelve years at Rose Management Services, a multi-million dollar restaurant management company which operates 60 casual dining restaurants, where he served first as Controller and later as Chief Financial Officer. Early in his career, he was Controller at Wallquest/Design Directions Inc., and a CPA at K.P.M.G. Peat Marwick.
Mr. Mandes, a certified public accountant, earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from Widener University and his MBA in finance from LaSalle University.
TopPaul A. Poniatowski, VP of Test Development
Paul A. Poniatowski is Vice President of Test Development at the American Board of Internal Medicine, responsible for management of exam development operations and strategic planning for cognitive assessment methods and processes.
Mr. Poniatowski received a master’s degree in English from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in Measurement, Evaluation, and Techniques of Experimental Research from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the American Educational Research Association.
TopLorie Slass, VP of Communications
Lorie Slass, Vice President for Communications at the American Board of Internal Medicine, has more than 20 years of experience in communications and public affairs. At ABIM, Ms. Slass oversees all communications operations and activities for ABIM and the ABIM Foundation.
Before joining ABIM in 2007, Ms. Slass was a senior officer at The Pew Charitable Trusts where she created, executed and managed communications and public affairs initiatives for Pew's state policy and health care-related efforts. From 2003 to 2005, she was Deputy Campaign Manager for Cover the Uninsured Week at The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, where she helped plan and implement a complex public education campaign – the nation's largest mobilization effort – on behalf of the millions of Americans who lack health care coverage. As Director of the Washington Office of the Annenberg Public Policy Center from 2000 to 2003, Ms. Slass directed media outreach and public affairs activities.
Ms. Slass served as Communications Director for Families USA, a non-partisan and non-profit organization working to improve health care quality and affordability. She worked in communications consulting in Washington DC for seven years directing public relations and public affairs strategies for a range of health, education and children's issue accounts first at Podesta Associates and then at Greer, Margolis Mitchell, Burns & Associates.
She started her career at the Advocacy Institute, helping to design a training program in media advocacy and coalition building for tobacco control coalitions in 17 states.
Ms. Slass earned a master’s degree in Communication from the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University.