The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) announced the recipients of its 2013 awards recognizing outstanding service and leadership in the field of medical regulation. The awards will be presented at the FSMB's Annual Meeting in Boston in April. This year's recipients include:
Distinguished Service Award
The Distinguished Service Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service and leadership to the FSMB and the field of medical licensure and discipline. The 2013 award is presented to Martin Crane, MD, and Scott M. Fishman, MD.
Dr. Crane exercised key leadership roles in strategic planning, governance and fiduciary oversight as a member of the FSMB's Board of Directors from 2004-2011. As Chair of the organization from 2009-2010, he led initiatives to open an FSMB Advocacy Office in Washington, D.C., and raised public awareness of the important role of state medical boards in maintaining health care quality and patient safety. During his term, Dr. Crane also led efforts to enhance the FSMB's data resources, assuring the continued competence of licensed physicians through the FSMB's Maintenance of Licensure initiative, and integrating the FSMB's resources into the national system of emergency preparedness. From 2000 to 2008, Dr. Crane served on the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine. In addition to leading the board as chair for five years, Dr. Crane chaired several key committees and led significant policy changes for utilizing a state medical board to improve health care quality and access to health care in the state. In 2006, the U.S. Secretary of Education appointed Dr. Crane to the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation, a committee he subsequently chaired.
Dr. Fishman, Chief of the Division of Pain Medicine and Professor of Anesthesia at the University of California, Davis, is well known for his longstanding scholarship and leadership in the area of pain management. He lectures throughout the United States on all aspects of pain control as well as the prevention of prescription drug abuse. Dr. Fishman is the author of the FSMB Foundation's 2007 book, "Responsible Opioid Prescribing," which was widely distributed by medical boards and quickly became a recognized authoritative resource for physicians in confronting problems associated with the evaluation and treatment of chronic pain. An expanded and revised second edition, "Responsible Opioid Prescribing: A Clinician's Guide," was released in print and e-book formats in 2012. Dr. Fishman is Past President of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, and is author of "The War on Pain" and "Listening to Pain," coauthor of "Spinal Cord Stimulation," and coeditor of "Bonica's Management of Pain and Essentials of Pain Medicine and Regional Anesthesia."
John H. Clark, MD Leadership Award
In recognition of his leadership in the field of medical licensure and discipline, the John J. Clark, MD Leadership Award is presented to W. Eugene Musser, Jr., MD.
Dr. Musser has been a member of the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board since 2004. He was elected by his colleagues as Board Chair for a remarkable three consecutive terms, 2007 to 2009. Under Dr. Musser's tenure, the board took an active role in initiating legislation that created a duty for physicians to report their colleagues' unprofessional conduct. Effective in 2010, the new law expanded reporting obligation for providers licensed by the medical board and expanded the definition of unprofessional conduct to include failure by a physician to report such conduct. Dr. Musser was also the principal architect in securing a separate appropriation for the Medical Examining Board within the Department of Safety and Professional Services, which resulted in 17 dedicated positions for the board's credentialing and enforcement functions. Dr. Musser has served on the FSMB Education Committee since 2009 and on the FSMB Special Committee on Reentry to Practice from 2010 to 2012.
Award of Merit
For his exceptional contributions in the field of medical licensure and discipline, and specifically to state medical boards, the Award of Merit is presented to Carl F. Ameringer, PhD, JD.
Dr. Ameringer, a professor of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, has conducted extensive research about state medical boards, the health professions, delivery systems and health care workforce issues. He is the author of "State Medical Boards and the Politics of Public Protection," "The Health Care Revolution: From Medical Monopoly to Market Competition" and, most recently, "State-based Licensure of Telemedicine: The Need for Uniformity but not a National Scheme." From 1987 to 1992, Dr. Ameringer served as assistant attorney general and deputy counsel to the Maryland health department where his responsibilities included oversight of disciplinary actions before Maryland's health licensing boards and commissions. He has served on health policy task forces in Maryland, Wisconsin and Virginia.
Ray L. Casterline Award for Excellence in Writing
The 2013 award is presented to Gretchen P. Kenagy, PhD, et al., for their outstanding article, "Physician Reentry into Clinical Practice: Regulatory Challenges," published in the FSMB's Journal of Medical Regulation. Dr. Kenagy is Senior Research Associate, Medical Education Outcomes at the American Medical Association (AMA). Her areas of research include the medical education learning environment and physician reentry. She also supports policy development for the AMA Council on Medical Education.
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