ABS Welcomes Three New Directors

The American Board of Surgery (ABS), the national certifying body for general surgeons and related specialists, is pleased to welcome three new directors to the ABS Board of Directors. Each director will serve a three-year term, which will begin on July 1, 2024. All ABS directors are currently certified by the ABS and are meeting the requirements of the ABS Continuous Certification Program.

Daniel L. Dent, M.D.

Dr. Daniel Dent is chair of the Department of Medical Education and a professor of surgery in the Division of Trauma and Emergency Surgery at the University of Texas Health San Antonio (UTHSA), having previously been the institution’s surgery residency program director. Originally from Winter Park, Fla., he completed medical school at the University of South Florida followed by residency at the University of Tennessee, Memphis.

Dr. Dent has been a councilor of the ABS since 2018 where he is the current chair of the General Surgery Board after serving previously as the chair of the General Surgery Certifying Exam Committee.

“It has been a tremendous privilege to serve the ABS at a time when we are moving toward competency-based education,” said Dr. Dent of his involvement with the ABS. “I look forward to helping continue the progress as a member of the ABS Board of Directors.”

Dr. Dent has published over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts in trauma care and medical education and has received numerous educational awards including the UTHSA Presidential Award for Teaching Excellence in 2016.

Currently, he serves as a director on the ACGME Board of Directors, a member of the ACS delegation to the AMA House of Delegates, chair of the Organization of Program Director Associations, and is the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma representative to the ACS Advisory Council for General Surgery. He is a past president of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS) and served as both the secretary and vice chair of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Board of Governors.

Margaret L. Jenkins

Margaret L. Jenkins is an independent board director based in Greenville, S.C., with an extensive background in advertising, consumer marketing, account management, and corporate governance.

A native of Los Angeles, Ms. Jenkins is an alumna of the University of Colorado where she studied journalism and communications. She holds a Public Company Governance Certification from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and is a graduate of the Riley Institute at Furman University’s Diversity Leaders Initiative.

“I am deeply honored to join the Board of the American Board of Surgery and to work with such an esteemed and accomplished group of individuals,” said Ms. Jenkins. “I am committed to furthering the organization’s mission of excellence in surgical education and practice and look forward to contributing my expertise and dedication throughout my term.”

Ms. Jenkins’ public board service includes eight years as a corporate director of PVH Corp., the parent company of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, and three years on the board of national retailer Kohl’s Corp. She is currently on the board of Citi Trends Corp., for which she chairs the Nominating and Corporate Governance/ESG Committee, and was recently elected to the board of the National Association of Corporate Directors, Carolinas Chapter.

Ms. Jenkins was the chair of the Prisma Health-Upstate Board of Directors from its inception in 2017 until December 2023. She currently serves on the Prisma Health-Upstate Foundation Board and is on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Greenville.

In her free time, Ms. Jenkins enjoys running, reading, and has a passion for the visual and performing arts, as evidenced by her board service to the Greenville Symphony Orchestra and the Sigal Music Museum of Antique Instruments.

Donna L. Lamb, DHSc

Dr. Donna L. Lamb is the current president and chief executive officer of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and the executive director and board chair of the National Matching Program (NMP). Born in Lake Wales, Fla., she attended Florida Southern College where she received a bachelor’s degree in nursing and went on to earn a Doctor of Health Sciences degree from A.T. Still University in Kirksville, Mo.

Dr. Lamb’s career has long revolved around advancing medical education, with previous roles that include executive director for surgical accreditation at the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), vice president of graduate medical education/DIO of the HCA East Florida Division, and director of graduate medical education for Advent Health. She began her career in nursing, working in trauma, neonatal, and cardiothoracic intensive care units, and has also held roles as a legal consultant and as a director for hospital operations and administration.

“Over this past decade, the Board has advanced its service to medicine, to the surgical community, and to health outcomes through its advancement of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs), through incorporation of the human elements of being a surgeon into board certification requirements, and by taking strong positions on important issues including gun violence, racism and DEI, access to care, and medical misinformation,” shared Dr. Lamb. “I am honored to be the second public member appointed to the American Board of Surgery following Karen Fisher, J.D., and I am excited to contribute to the advancement of surgery.”

In addition to guiding and supporting medical education through her career, Dr. Lamb has also served as a director of the Robert Guthrie Foundation Board, whose mission includes cultivating lifelong learning within the medical community and advancing patient-centered care.
In her free time, Dr. Lamb enjoys being with her grandchildren, spending time at the beach or on the water, and appreciating theater.

In Thanks

The ABS gratefully acknowledges the dedication and commitment of the following outgoing directors, whose term on the ABS Board of Directors will end this June:

• M. Ashraf Mansour, M.D.
  
• Paris D. Butler, M.D.
• Karen Fisher, J.D.

About the ABS

The American Board of Surgery is an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1937 for the purpose of certifying individuals who have met a defined standard of education, training and knowledge in the field of surgery. Surgeons certified by the ABS have completed at least five years of surgical training following medical school and successfully completed a written and oral examination process administered by the ABS. They must then maintain their board certification through ongoing learning and practice improvement activities.

The ABS offers board certification in general surgery, vascular surgery, pediatric surgery, surgical critical care, complex general surgical oncology, and surgery of the hand. It is one of the 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties.

May. 8, 2024 | Media Contact: Alyson Maloney