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ABIM Foundation

The mission of the ABIM Foundation is to advance the core values of medical professionalism to promote excellence in health care. It was created by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) in 1989 as a supporting organization within the meaning of Section 509(a)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Governed by a separate Board of Trustees since 1999, it is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and functions as an operating charity with a focus on delivering programs in support of its mission.

One of the Foundation's most significant contributions has been the publication of Medical Professionalism in the New Millennium: A Physician Charter. Co-authored with the ACP Foundation and European Federation of Internal Medicine, the Charter has been endorsed by more than 130 organizations and 100,000 copies have been distributed.

Since 2010, the Foundation has focused its work primarily on advancing medical professionalism in the area of stewardship of health care resources. Examples of Foundation programs supporting this work include the Choosing Wisely® campaign, the Teaching Value and Choosing Wisely® Challenge, and the Putting Stewardship into Medical Education and Training grant program.

As an operating charity, the ABIM Foundation is not primarily a grant-making organization; however, it does provide funding to other organizations and projects when they are in alignment with its mission. It also supports key research projects and initiatives of ABIM that have been identified as opportunities to accelerate improvements in its programs.

The ABIM Foundation supports ABIM and the broader medical community by:

  • promoting professionalism as a force to improve the quality of health care and seeking to reinforce the certification process as a manifestation of professionalism.
  • supporting ABIM's efforts to acquire new knowledge about how best to assess physicians' knowledge, skills and attitudes and evaluate their performance through research, pilots and product development.
  • convening the medical community and diverse stakeholders to explore relevant topics that affect physician performance.

Read more about the history of the ABIM Foundation and its accomplishments in advancing medical professionalism.

American Board of Medical Specialties

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) encompasses 24 medical specialty boards in the United States:

Internal Medicine Community

Journals

Medical Societies and Patient Organizations

Quality Improvement

Residency Training