The American Board of Surgery (ABS), the national certifying body for general surgeons and related specialists, is pleased to welcome five new councilors to the ABS Council. Each councilor will serve a six-year term, which began on July 1, 2022. All ABS Councilors are currently certified by the ABS and are meeting the requirements of the ABS Continuous Certification Program.
Bernadette Aulivola, M.D., M.S., RVT, RPVI, FACS
Dr. Aulivola is a professor of surgery at Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine, where she also serves as director of the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy as well as vice chair for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Department of Surgery at Loyola University Health System. In 2017, she was elected to serve as a member of the Vascular Surgery Board (VSB) of the ABS to represent the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society (VESS), and this year was elected to the ABS Council.
“I am honored to have had the opportunity to serve on the Vascular Surgery Board of the American Board of Surgery over the past five years,” said Dr. Aulivola. “I look forward to continuing my work as a councilor of the ABS in the upcoming years, carrying out the mission of the organization in serving the public and the specialty of surgery by promoting the highest standards for professionalism, lifelong learning and high quality patient care.”
Born on Long Island, N.Y., Dr. Aulivola completed medical school at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, followed by general surgery residency training at Rush University Medical Center and Cook County Hospital in Chicago and a vascular surgery fellowship at the Beth Israel Deaconess/Harvard Hospitals program in Boston, Mass. Her current practice scope consists of a wide spectrum of vascular surgery, including the diagnosis, management and treatment of peripheral artery disease, aortic disease, venous disease, and arteriovenous access, with interests that include clinical outcomes and healthcare disparities research.
Dr. Aulivola is a member of the ABS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force, and as a member of the ABS Council, she will serve on the Assessment Committee in addition to her role as a director of the VSB. Dr. Aulivola also serves as the VESS representative for both the American College of Surgeons and the Society of Vascular Surgery (SVS) Strategic Board of Directors.
Bridget Fahy, M.D.
Dr. Fahy is a professor and chief for the Division of Surgical Oncology and a professor of internal medicine for the Division of Palliative Medicine at the University of New Mexico (UNM) School of Medicine in Albuquerque. She also serves as program director for UNM’s complex general surgical oncology fellowship program.
A California native, Dr. Fahy was raised in San Clemente and completed medical school at the University of California, Irvine. Following residency training at the University of California, Davis Medical Center, Dr. Fahy completed a clinical fellowship in surgical oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Her current practice focuses on palliative medicine and general surgical oncology for gastrointestinal cancers, melanomas, and sarcomas. Her research and clinical interest centers on surgical palliative care.
“Being selected to serve as an ABS Councilor is an incredible professional honor and privilege,” said Dr. Fahy of her new role. “It is only through the leadership and vision of the ABS that I am able to claim the titles of surgical oncologist and palliative medicine specialist. In addition to the challenging and rewarding work the position of ABS Councilor entails, I know that there will be opportunities to develop new friendships and lifelong professional bonds. The future of American Surgery is bright!”
As a member of the ABS Council, Dr. Fahy will also serve on the Diplomates and Surgeons in Practice Committee as well as the Complex General Surgical Oncology Board. In addition to her roles with the ABS, Dr. Fahy serves as governor of the New Mexico Chapter for the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and vice chair for the ACS Committee on Surgical Palliative Care.
Caprice C. Greenberg, M.D., M.P.H.
Dr. Greenberg is a surgical oncologist and incoming chair of the Department of Surgery at University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Originally from Chicago, Dr. Greenberg earned her medical degree with honors from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and a Master of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She completed her residency training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital followed by a surgical oncology fellowship at Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Center. Her current practice focuses on breast health, and her clinical and research interests include health services research, quality measurement, and performance improvement.
“I am so excited to work with leaders in American surgery to continuously improve our approach to board certification and professional development across the discipline,” Dr. Greenberg said about her new role with the ABS.
As a member of the ABS Council, Dr. Greenberg will also serve as a member of the Research Committee and a director of the Complex General Surgical Oncology Board.
Benedict C. Nwomeh, M.D., M.P.H.
Dr. Nwomeh is the program director for the pediatric surgery fellowship and director of education for surgical services at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, where he also serves as the surgical director of the Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Additionally, he is a professor of surgery and pediatrics at The Ohio State University and vice chair for global surgery in the Department of Surgery at The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.
Born in Nigeria, Dr. Nwomeh completed medical school at the University of Lagos, followed by a residency at Virginia Commonwealth University Hospital in Richmond, VA. He completed his pediatric surgery fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. His clinical and research interests include global surgery, inflammatory bowel disease, and surgical education.
“The (ABS) has become the guiding light for the House of Surgery, leading the way for surgical educators to adapt new methods of training, while never compromising its rigorous standards,” said Dr. Nwomeh. “I’m very excited about the emerging paradigms for subspecialty training, such as the new joint general surgery-pediatric surgical pathway.”
As a member of the ABS Council, Dr. Nwomeh will serve on the Education and Training Committee and on the Pediatric Surgery Board. In addition to his roles with the ABS, Dr. Nwomeh serves as a governor for both the American College of Surgeons and the American Pediatric Surgical Association. He is a past-president of the Association of Pediatric Surgery Training Program Directors.
Peter S. Yoo, M.D.
Dr. Yoo is an abdominal transplant surgeon and an associate professor of surgery at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, CT, where he also serves as the program director of the surgical residency.
A native of Long Island, Dr. Yoo completed medical school at the State University of New York, Stony Brook, followed by residency training at Yale University and a clinical fellowship in transplant surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Dr. Yoo’s research focuses on trainee wellbeing and the clinical learning environment.
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to help shape the interface between the ABS and the specialty of transplantation,” said Dr. Yoo of his new role.
As a member of the ABS Council, Dr. Yoo will serve on the Assessment Committee as well as on the Transplantation Advisory Council. In addition to his ABS Councilor role, Dr. Yoo serves as the treasurer for the New England Surgical Society, chair of the Knowledge Assessment Committee of the Transplant Accreditation and Certification Council of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, and was recently appointed to chair the Research Committee of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery.
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, surgery of the hand, and hospice and palliative medicine. It is one of the 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties.
Jul. 13, 2022