Certification in Vascular Neurology

Abstract

In 2003, the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) received approval from the American Board of Medical Specialties to issue subspecialty certificates in vascular neurology. Recognition was requested by the American Academy of Neurology. The new certificate acknowledges those ABPN-certified neurologists and child neurologists who have developed special expertise in the field of vascular neurology. The new subspecialty reflects the growth of cerebrovascular disease as an independent area of medical expertise and the related development of professional organizations such as the Stroke Council of the American Heart Association and the Stroke Section of the American Academy of Neurology. It also denotes the high level of scholarship in the area of vascular diseases of the central nervous system, as evidenced by the success of numerous journals such as Stroke , that focus on experimental, epidemiological, translational, and clinical research in this field. Simultaneously, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) endorsed postgraduate (fellowship) training in vascular neurology, which will be discussed in a separate report in Stroke. After the 2009 examination, only those neurologists who have successfully completed an ACGME-accredited program in vascular neurology will be eligible to become certified in this subspecialty. In the interim, applications will be accepted from those ABPN-certified neurologists or child neurologists who have had training in a non-ACGME accredited stroke fellowship or who devote at least 25% of their practice time to the diagnosis and treatment of persons with stroke. Information about the requirements and the application process is found at the ABPN website (www.abpn.com). The new certificates are valid for a 10-year period, which means that to retain certification status, certified physicians will periodically have to complete an ABPN maintenance of certification process including taking another examination. The ABPN appointed a 12-member committee to develop the content outline for the examination, to …