Department of Internal Medicine Dr. Ballas Elected Co-chair Elect for 2005 to the American Board of Allergy and Immunology 10/15/2004 Congratulations to Zuhair Ballas, M.D., Professor in the Division of Allergy-Immunology who was recently elected co-chair elect for 2005 to the American Board of Allergy and Immunology. The American Board of Allergy and Immunology (ABAI), a Conjoint Board of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP), is an independent, non-profit organization and is one of 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). The ABAI was established in 1971 as a Conjoint Board of the ABIM and ABP. The internal medicine subspecialty existed from 1936-1971 and the pediatric subspecialty existed from 1944-1971. The ABAI is committed to working closely with its parent boards to maintain the highest educational and clinical standards in the specialty of allergy/immunology. The nature of a Conjoint Board requires involvement of the sponsoring primary boards through understanding, evaluation, trust and input into critical areas of decision making. With these concepts in mind, the ABAI has formed two advisory committees with representation by the ABAI, the ABIM, and the ABP. The Conjoint Credentials Committee will review and recommend the credentials of candidates for the certification examination to the Board for its determination. The Conjoint Standards Committee will review and recommend the passing grade for the certification examination to the Board for its determination. ABAI's Board of Directors consists of an equal number of ABAI-certified internists and ABAI-certified pediatricians, who are nominated by the sponsoring organizations, and the ABAI itself, for six-year terms. These sponsoring organizations are the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) - Section on Allergy and Immunology, the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI), the American Medical Association (AMA) - Section Council on Allergy and Immunology, and the Clinical Immunology Society (CIS). |