About Us

Pediatric Surgery Board

The Pediatric Surgery 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 Pediatric Surgery Board was established in 1974

The Pediatric Surgery Board (PSB) 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 examinations in pediatric surgery. This includes the Pediatric Surgery Qualifying Examination, the Pediatric Surgery Certifying Examination, the Pediatric Surgery In-Training Examination, and the Pediatric Surgery Continuous Certification Assessment.

2025-2026 PSB Directors

Meet the Pediatric Surgery Board

The PSB currently has nine directors, including a chair and vice chair. Each director serves a term of six years.

Steven L. Lee, M.D. - Chair
Benedict C. Nwomeh, M.D. - Vice Chair
Eunice Yuee-Dean Huang, M.D.
Grace Mak, M.D.
Erika A. Newman, M.D.
Daniel J. Ostlie, M.D.
Carmen T. Ramos-Irizarry, M.D.
Jeffrey S. Upperman, M.D.
Mark V. Mazziotti, M.D.

History

History of the Pediatric Surgery Board

The PSB was the first specialty board of the ABS, formed in 1974. William Ladd (1880- 1967), considered the founding father of pediatric surgery in the United States, was on the original ABS Board of Directors and was awarded an ABS certificate as a member of his founders’ group. He was not a supporter of a separate specialty of pediatric surgery.

1959

In 1959, C. Everett Koop (1916-2013), at the behest of the Surgical Section of the American Academy of Pediatrics, brought a proposal to the ABS to institute the PSB. The ABS brought the request to the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) but was opposed by the American Board of Urology and the Society of University Surgeons.

1960

In 1960, Koop gathered support from the AAP as well as the American College of Surgeons, with the proviso that the pediatric surgeons remain under the ABS umbrella. This attempt failed as well, as it was difficult for the ABS at that time to realize how any well-trained general surgeon would not be able to operate on an infant.

1960s

The 1960s saw the start of specialized training programs in pediatric surgery in the US and Canada, approved by a group of pediatric surgeons known as the Clatworthy Committee.

1969

In 1969, the American Pediatric Surgical Association was created, an organization of surgeons separate from the AAP. The Journal of Pediatric Surgery started in 1965, with Koop as its first editor-in-chief. With these advances in training, leadership, and education, Dr. Harvey Beardmore, a surgeon from Montreal, came back to the ABS to reapply for a separate PSB.

1972

In 1972, the ABS agreed with the proviso that the primary emphasis was to be on newborns, the field was to remain under general surgery, and the certificate would be for special competence.

1973

In April 1973, the ABMS approved the special certification for pediatric surgery under the aegis of the ABS.

1974

The first administration of the ABS examination for pediatric surgery occurred in 1974. Beardmore, Judson Randolph, and Mark Rowe took the inaugural board examination in Philadelphia in 1974 and were each awarded certificates.

1975

In April 1975, over 250 pediatric surgeons took a three-hour test for pediatric certification; 238 passed.

Director Spotlight

The PSB welcomes Dr. Mark Mazziotti

Dr. Mazziotti is the program director for the pediatric surgery fellowship, education director for the department of surgery, and a professor of surgery and pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. In addition, he serves as the hospital’s general surgery ombudsman and undergraduate medical education site director.

Dr. Mazziotti attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and completed his residency in general surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, followed by a pediatric surgery fellowship at New York Presbyterian Hospital. He also has a Master of Education from the University of Houston.

His clinical and research interests include minimally invasive surgery, pectus excavatum, and pectus carinatum.

Dr. Mazziotti has been a consultant for the ABS Pediatric Surgery Qualifying Examination Committee for over a decade and currently serves as chair. He is the president-elect for the Association of Pediatric Surgery Training Program Directors, and has held leadership roles in organizations including the American Pediatric Surgery Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Surgery.

Staff Leadership

Meet the Staff Leadership Team

The ABS leadership team supports the work of the ABS Board of Directors, Council, specialty boards and the ABS mission.

Executive Staff

Led by Dr. Jo Buyske, the American Board of Surgery executive team is comprised of doctors and professionals committed to promoting the highest standards for professionalism, lifelong learning, and continuous certification of surgeons in practice.