Furman S. McDonald, MD, MPH, President and Chief Executive Officer
Dr. McDonald, a board-certified internist, is President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and the ABIM Foundation. Dr. McDonald previously served as ABIM’s Senior Vice President for Academic and Medical Affairs from 2014 to 2024. Prior to joining ABIM, Dr. McDonald served as Associate Chair of the Department of Medicine and Residency Program Director at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, one of the nation’s largest internal medicine residencies. While at the Mayo Clinic, he led the program's participation in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s (ACGME’s) Educational Innovations Project, which investigated many concepts that would eventually become part of the Next Accreditation System. Since joining ABIM, he has continued his role in patient care and GME as an attending physician of the J. Edwin Wood Clinic and faculty of the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia.
As a longtime member of the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine (APDIM), Dr. McDonald chaired the APDIM Survey Committee from 2007 to 2011, leading the development of longitudinally tracked surveys addressing areas of importance in GME. He was a member of the ACGME Residency Review Committee for Internal Medicine (RC-IM) during the transition to the Next Accreditation System and continued on the RC-IM as ABIM’s Ex Officio member during his tenure as SVP for Academic and Medical Affairs.
The focus of Dr. McDonald's professional career has been the training of internal medicine residents and fellows to provide better care to patients by incorporating the best evidence available for both medical care and medical education. A well-respected leader in the field of GME and medical education research, Dr. McDonald has authored more than 110 peer-reviewed publications. During his tenure as Program Director, he was recognized with the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine Diversity Champion award for his work increasing the numbers of women and those underrepresented in medicine in its residencies and fellowships. He also co-founded the Mayo International Health Program, which has subsequently funded hundreds of trainees to pursue educational rotations caring for medically underserved populations in international settings. Dr. McDonald continues to support this work.
He earned an undergraduate degree in physics with highest distinction (grade point average) and with highest honors (based on his thesis in atomic collision research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead Scholar. He went on to train as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute/National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Scholar at NIH’s Bethesda campus. He earned his medical degree from Mayo Medical School and completed an internal medicine internship on the Osler Medical Service of The Johns Hopkins Hospital. He completed internal medicine residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where he also served as Chief Resident. He later earned a master of public health degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, while working as a full-time hospitalist at the Mayo Clinic.
Dr. McDonald attained the rank of Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and is Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Having received many awards for medical education, in particular the teaching of the physical exam, in 2019, Dr. McDonald received the Alliance for Academic Medicine Special Recognition Award “…presented to an individual who has contributed most to helping the Alliance meet its mission which ‘promotes the advancement and professional development of its members who prepare the next generation of internal medicine physicians and leaders through education, research, engagement, and collaboration.’”
Dr. McDonald has been certified in Internal Medicine by ABIM continuously since 2000. In addition to being a longtime, proud member of the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine and APDIM, he is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the Society of Hospital Medicine.
As of July 2023, Dr. McDonald reported the following ongoing relationships with other healthcare-related companies:
Work as an author or editor for the following companies, with compensation as listed below:
- Mayo Clinic Scientific Press, receiving compensation as an author, paid to Mayo International Health Program.
Dr. McDonald also reported that he is an American Board of Internal Medicine Ex-Officio Member of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Residency Review Committee for Internal Medicine. He is also an Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates/Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Graduates Committee Member.
Richard G. Battaglia, MD, FACP, Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Battaglia, a board certified internist, is Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). There, he leads ABIM's effort to incorporate feedback from practicing physicians and key stakeholders into clinical aspects of all of ABIM activities, including Certification and Maintenance of Certification (MOC).
Previously, Dr. Battaglia served as a primary care internist with Health Care Plan/Univera, a multi-specialty, staff model practice in Western New York before transitioning into leadership roles, including Medical Director of the Medical Centers Division and Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs/Corporate Medical Director. He also served as Medical Director/Chief Medical Officer of large multispecialty medical groups in Western New York. He has participated in national quality initiatives focused on physician group practice and health maintenance organizations. For more than 10 years, he devoted time to The National Committee for Quality Assurance, including a term as Chairman of the committee charged with accreditation decision-making. Most recently, he was a consultant for national and international organizations, including academic medical centers, health systems, community hospitals, medical groups, payers and national physician certification organizations.
Dr. Battaglia received a biochemistry degree from Canisius College, a Jesuit institution in Buffalo, NY. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Dr. Battaglia completed his residency through the University of Rochester Primary Care Program in Internal Medicine and also served as Chief Resident.
As of June 2024, Dr. Battaglia reported no ongoing financial relationships with other health care-related companies.
Judith L. Cassel, MPP, Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, Chief of Staff
Ms. Cassel works within the President's Office as the Chief of Staff of the American Board of Internal Medicine. In that role, she has direct responsibility for overseeing ABIM's Human Resources; Governance; Customer Care; Strategy, Planning and Optimization; and Program Operations sections. She serves as a key representative of Dr. Richard Baron, ABIM's President and CEO, and helps to develop and implement ABIM's programmatic goals. Ms. Cassel also supports communication among all of ABIM's leadership team members, chairing the Senior Executive Team. Additionally, she acts as liaison to outside legal counsel and serves as ABIM's Chief Ethics Officer, ensuring adherence to ABIM's conflict of interest policies for governance members and staff.
Before coming to ABIM, Ms. Cassel worked for the City of Philadelphia as Project Director, OnePhilly, where she led the $40 million transformation of the City's human resources operations, which serves more than 28,000 active and 35,000 retired employees. She also served the City as Chief of Staff to the Finance Director, where she helped to lead the City's financial operations and set financial strategy for the City. Prior to that, Ms. Cassel served the City of Philadelphia as Chief of Staff of the Department of Human Services and as a Deputy Managing Director. Earlier in her career, she was Deputy Chief Strategic Planning Officer for the School District of Philadelphia.
Ms. Cassel graduated from Dartmouth College and has a master's degree in Public Policy from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. She also completed a fellowship at the Education Policy & Leadership Center in Harrisburg, PA.
As of June 2024, Ms. Cassel reported no ongoing financial relationships with other health care-related companies.
Erica N. Johnson, MD, FACP, FIDSA, Senior Vice President for Academic and Medical Affairs
Dr. Johnson, board-certified in internal medicine and infectious disease, is ABIM’s Senior Vice President for Academic and Medical Affairs. Prior to this role, she served as the Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and Associate Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Medical Education for the Johns Hopkins Department of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. She remains on faculty at Johns Hopkins as Associate Professor of Medicine (part time) in the Division of Infectious Diseases. She is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Disease Society of America.
In 2014, Dr. Johnson completed an 11-year career in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, where she served as the Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency and Infectious Disease Fellowship Programs in the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium. She also served as a clinical investigator with the Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program.
Dr. Johnson served as the Chair of the ABIM Infectious Disease Board from April 2021 through September 2024, as Council-Director of the ABIM Council and Board of Directors from July 2022 through September 2024, and as Secretary of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Governance Committee from July 2023 through July 2024. She is active in the Academic Alliance of Internal Medicine (AAIM) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. She was also a member of the Accreditation Council Graduate Medical Education Residency Review Committee for Internal Medicine and is currently an ex officio member. Dr. Johnson has been recognized with numerous research, teaching and community service awards, including the Johns Hopkins Institute for Excellence in Education Teaching Award for Faculty, the Johns Hopkins Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Community Service, the C. Lockard Conley Award for Teaching Excellence from the Maryland Chapter of the American College of Physicians and the AAIM Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award.
Dr. Johnson received her bachelor’s degree in classics from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, and her medical degree from the University of Maryland in Baltimore, Maryland. She completed a residency in internal medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, and a fellowship in infectious disease at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.
As of May 2024, Dr. Johnson reported the following external relationships:
Dr. Johnson serves in significant roles with the following organizations, receiving reimbursement or compensation as listed:
- Infectious Diseases Society of America, Education Committee, Member, without compensation
- Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Review Committee for Internal Medicine, Member, without compensation
Rebecca S. Lipner, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Assessment and Research
Dr. Lipner is Senior Vice President of Assessment and Research at the American Board of Internal Medicine, where she oversees a team of measurement and research design and analysis experts who employ measurement principles using both qualitative and quantitative methods to ensure and enhance the high quality of assessment programs across the ABIM enterprise while disseminating evidence-based research findings to the public. In this role she ensures that ABIM assessment products remain relevant to the practice of internal medicine and identifies new possibilities and innovations in assessment and technology that guide research and development initiatives.
Prior to joining ABIM, Dr. Lipner held a variety of teaching and faculty positions at Drexel University, St. Joseph's University and the University of Pittsburgh, where she taught undergraduate and graduate courses in statistics, tests and measurement, experimental design, systems analysis and design, and expert systems.
Her research interests include high-stakes testing and assessment, statistical modeling, experimental design, the use of procedural clinical simulations in testing, and health outcomes research. Dr. Lipner is a frequent speaker on these subjects and is widely published in professional journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association, Annals of Internal Medicine, Academic Medicine, Applied Measurement in Education, and the Journal of Educational Measurement.
Dr. Lipner received her degrees from Drexel University and the University of Pittsburgh. She is a member of the American Educational Research Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, National Council on Measurement in Education, AcademyHealth and is active in the Association of Test Publishing, where she served as Program Committee Chair and Vice-Chair from 2006-2008.
As of July 2023, Dr. Lipner reported no ongoing external relationships with other health care-related companies.
Vincent J. Mandes, CPA, MBA, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Mandes, a seasoned financial management professional with a strong background in strategic planning and business development, is Senior Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at the American Board of Internal Medicine and the ABIM Foundation. He directs activities associated with the security and investment of the assets and funds of both organizations and is responsible for providing overall direction for the accounting, tax, insurance, budget, credit and treasury functions. Additionally, he ensures that financial transactions, policies and procedures meet organization short- and long-term objectives, as well as regulatory requirements.
Previously, Mr. Mandes served as Vice President of Finance at Lincoln Investment Planning, Inc., where he managed all aspects of financial activities: treasury, cash management, taxes, forecasts, risk management, and coordination of independent third party professional services. Before that, he spent twelve years at Rose Management Services, a multi-million dollar restaurant management company which operates 60 casual dining restaurants, where he served first as Controller and later as Chief Financial Officer. Early in his career, he was Controller at Wallquest/Design Directions Inc., and a CPA at K.P.M.G. Peat Marwick.
Mr. Mandes, a certified public accountant, earned his bachelor's degree in Accounting from Widener University and his MBA in Finance from LaSalle University.
As of July 2023, Mr. Mandes reported no ongoing financial relationships with other health care-related companies.
Jeffrey Miller, MSIS, Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer
Mr. Miller is the Chief Information Officer at the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), responsible for providing technical leadership and industry-leading solutions to facilitate the changing needs of the ABIM community. Mr. Miller leads the ABIM Application Development and IT Operations departments.
Before joining ABIM, Mr. Miller’s work centered around a variety of health and life sciences organizations. He has had the pleasure of working with LiquidHub, Hewlett-Packard, Cooper University Health Care, and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
He received a bachelor's degree from Lafayette College and a master's degree in information systems from Drexel University.
As of July 2023, Mr. Miller reported no ongoing financial relationships with other health care-related companies.
Jessica Perlo, Executive Vice President, ABIM Foundation
Jessica Perlo, MPH, is the Executive Vice President of the ABIM Foundation, a nonprofit focused on advancing medical professionalism and clinician leadership to improve the health care system.
Previously, Ms. Perlo led the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)’s work to support workforce well-being, which aims to reverse the worrying trend of burnout and moral injury in health care and support leaders at all levels in creating a positive work and learning environment that fosters equity, safety, meaning, choice, and a shared commitment to deliver high-quality care.
For more than 15 years, she has worked to design and implement health system improvement efforts, including roles at Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency, Strong Memorial Hospital, Mass General Brigham, and the Atlantic Health Equity Fellowship. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Clinician Wellbeing and Resilience, trained in community organizing from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and is an IHI Improvement Advisor.
As of July 2024, Ms. Perlo reported no ongoing financial relationships with other health care-related companies.
Pamela White, Senior Vice President, Communications and Chief DEI Officer
Ms. White, Senior Vice President of Communications and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and ABIM Foundation, has more than 30 years of experience in communications, public affairs, community relations and strategic development. She oversees all communications and diversity, equity and inclusion operations and activities for ABIM and the ABIM Foundation, working to expand and enhance outreach to physicians and external stakeholders, increase organizational transparency and effectively communicate the importance of board certification and medical professionalism.
Before joining ABIM and the ABIM Foundation, Ms. White was Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Strategic Development at Esperanza, Inc., the largest Hispanic faith-based nonprofit organization in the U.S. There, she developed a dynamic communications strategy to build a local and national reputation with key internal and external stakeholders and managed relationships with top-tier media and advanced strategic partnerships to secure resources to support the organization's mission.
Previously, she was Vice President, Public Affairs for Cancer Treatment Centers of America, where she engaged various audiences, including patients, physicians, media and industry leaders on important health care issues. She also held senior leadership roles with the Philadelphia Eagles and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. In addition, Ms. White has a history of community service and is Chair Emeritus of the Board of Directors for the Marian Anderson Award and Former Chair of the Workforce Investment Board and Philadelphia Youth Council.
She earned a bachelor's degree in communications from Youngstown State University.
As of June 2024, Ms. White reported no ongoing financial relationships with other health care-related companies.