Trauma, Burns, and Surgical Critical Care Board
The Trauma, Burns, and Surgical Critical Care Board is one of five specialty boards of the American Board of Surgery (ABS). Each specialty board consists of directors nominated by colleagues, organizations representative of the specialty, or self-nomination, as well as ABS Council members previously elected from within the specialty.
Intro
The Trauma, Burns, and Surgical Critical Care Board is one of five specialty boards of the ABS
The Trauma, Burns, and Surgical Critical Care Board (TBSCCB) is responsible for defining the specific training requirements within the specialty and is primarily responsible for defining appropriate content and overseeing the development and administration of the Surgical Critical Care Certifying Examination and the Surgical Critical Care Continuous Certification Assessment.
2026-2027 TBSCCB Directors
Meet the Trauma, Burns, and Surgical Critical Care Board
The TBSCCB currently has 11 directors, including a chair and vice chair. Each director serves a term of six years.
- Nicole A. Stassen, M.D. - Chair
- Niels D. Martin, M.D. - Vice Chair
- Suresh K. Agarwal, Jr., M.D.
- Saman Arbabi, M.D.
- Tejal S. Brahmbhatt, M.D.
- Sharmila D. Dissanaike, M.D.
- Thomas K. Duncan, D.O.
- Jennifer M. Gurney, M.D.
- Aaron R. Jensen, M.D.
- Hee Soo Jung, M.D.
- Abhijit S. Pathak, M.D.
- Nicole F. Siparsky, M.D.
Newsletters
Updates from the Trauma, Burns, and Surgical Critical Care Board
The TBSCCB regularly produces newsletters with the latest updates, exam information, and announcements from the current TBSCCB chair.
Fall 2026
Message from TBSCCB Chair Dr. Nicole Stassen
Colleagues,
At its core, board certification exists to protect the public by ensuring that practicing surgeons meet the highest standards of safety, competence, and clinical skill. The American Board of Surgery’s (ABS) mission is to serve patients, society, and the specialty of surgery. The Trauma, Burns, and Surgical Critical Care Board (TBSCCB) is dedicated to ensuring certification standards remain responsive to the evolving needs of the public while staying meaningful and relevant to surgeons in training and practice.
Director Spotlight
The TBSCCB welcomes Dr. Nicole Siparsky
Dr. Siparsky is the vice chair of academic affairs for the department of surgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, where she is also the surgical director of the adult intensive care unit, the chief of acute care surgery and surgical critical care, and a professor of surgery.
Dr. Siparsky received her medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine. She completed her general surgery residency at Washington Hospital Center in the District of Columbia, followed by fellowships in adult and pediatric multi-visceral abdominal transplantation at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and surgical critical care at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University in Chicago. Her clinical interests include necrotizing soft tissue infection, abdominal compartment syndrome, shock, fluids, nutrition, and wound healing.
In addition to her involvement with the ABS, Dr. Siparsky is a current member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s governing council as well as a member of the editorial board of Critical Care Medicine, a top critical care journal. Her hobbies include exploring the great outdoors and nature photography.
Staff Leadership
Meet the Staff Leadership Team
