American Board of Emergency Medicine Looks to the Future: Appoints Executive Director, Professional and Clinical Affairs

EAST LANSING, Mich., Aug. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) Board of Directors is pleased to announce Melissa A. Barton, M.D., in the role of Executive Director, Professional and Clinical Affairs on January 1, 2025.

In January 2024, ABEM announced a search to identify an Executive Director, Professional and Clinical Affairs following the retirement of the current Executive Director, Earl J. Reisdorff, M.D., effective December 2024. The Board developed an Executive Search Advisory Group and partnered with WittKieffer to conduct a robust and extensive search process. Over the past six months, ABEM has conducted a rigorous and thorough process of reviewing applications, holding multiple stages of interviews with numerous well-qualified candidates.

Dr. Barton joined ABEM in 2015 as its inaugural Director of Medical Affairs, focusing on certification activities related to residency training and subspecialty development. While at ABEM, she also helped lead multi-organizational outreach activities, including the award-winning Dr. Leon L. Haley Jr Bridge to the Future of Emergency Medicine and the Coalition of Board-Certified Emergency Physicians. She has also led the review process for the EM Model and served as the ABEM liaison for the ACGME Residency Committee-Emergency Medicine.

Dr. Barton is board-certified in Emergency Medicine and has practiced for more than 20 years in Michigan, with her early career spent practicing at Detroit Medical Center (DMC) Sinai-Grace Hospital, a trauma hospital in northwest Detroit. Immediately following residency, Dr. Barton assumed the role of Associate Program Director and later Program Director for the DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital Emergency Medicine Residency Program. She also had a faculty appointment as a Clinical Associate Professor at the Wayne State University School of Medicine.

A member of the Michigan College of Emergency Physicians (MCEP) since 2004, Dr. Barton served as the MCEP President in 2010 and remains engaged with the chapter.

"With a great foundation by Dr. Reisdorff, Dr. Barton's effective and diverse experiences in medical education and health care will continue to enhance and lead the development of certification opportunities and partnerships for ABEM. We are excited to begin this next chapter with Dr. Barton in her new role," said Diane L. Gorgas, M.D., Board President.

Learn more about Dr. Barton and ABEM's Future Executive Leadership Strategy. 

Learn more about the American Board of Emergency Medicine and certification on the ABEM website.

Contact: AJ Wolf, [email protected]

SOURCE American Board of Emergency Medicine