Who is the ABOHNS?
Board of Directors
The ABOHNS Board of Directors establishes the strategic direction and sets the policies that guide the Board in all its activities. Members are elected to the Board based on personal qualities, leadership abilities, and previous engagement with the ABOHNS activities and initiatives. Each member lends their unique expertise and experience to the leadership of the Board, serving and working in tandem with standing committees including Credentials and Ethics, Assessments, Subcertification, Continuing Certification, Information and Liaison, Finance, Audit, Education, and Strategic Planning. The Board of Directors is comprised of 17 directors and each is eligible to serve two consecutive 5-year terms. All directors serve as volunteers, except for a few leaders who receive a small honorarium based on the large amount of work required to fulfill their roles and responsibilities.
Board of Directors
Bradley F. Marple, MD, President
Dallas, Texas
Gregory J. Wiet, MD, President-Elect
Columbus, Ohio
Jennifer Parker Porter, MD, Treasurer
Bethesda, Maryland
John P. Carey, MD
Baltimore, Maryland
David O. Francis, MD, MS
Madison, Wisconsin
Howard W. Francis, MD, MBA
Durham, North Carolina
Marlan R. Hansen, MD
Iowa City, Iowa
Sonya Malekzadeh, MD
Washington, District of Columbia
Andrew H. Murr, MD
San Francisco, California
Cherie-Ann O. Nathan, MD
Shreveport, Louisiana
Krishna G. Patel, MD, PhD
Charleston, South Carolina
Diego A. Preciado, MD, PhD
Washington, District of Columbia
Gavin Setzen, MD
Albany, New York
Masayoshi Takashima, MD
Houston, Texas
Theodoros N. Teknos, MD
Cleveland, Ohio
Travis Tollefson, MD, MPH
Sacramento, California
Physician Volunteers
The ABOHNS physician volunteers serve in a combination of appointed and elected positions, lending their experience and skills to many Board-related functions and initiatives. The Oral Exam process, so vital to the Board’s mission, is made possible by the hard work and dedication of our leadership team and more than 100 volunteers. Most volunteers begin their experience with ABOHNS as Item Writers, and from there have the opportunity to serve as Oral Examiners, members of the Exam Council, committee and task force members, as well as members of the Board of Directors.
Senior Councilors
The ABOHNS Senior Councilors are distinguished volunteers who have completed their terms of service on the Board of Directors. While no specific duties are associated with this position, Senior Councilors have gained a deep understanding of the purpose, goals, and values of the Board through their many years of involvement with Board activities at every level of the organization and are available to provide strategic advice and consultation.
| Senior Councilors | |
|---|---|
| Byron J. Bailey, MD Galveston, Texas |
Gerald S. Berke, MD Pacific Palisades, California |
| Jeffrey M. Bumpous, MD Louisville, Kentucky |
C. Ron Cannon, MD Brandon, Mississippi |
| Robert W. Cantrell, MD Charlottesville, Virginia |
Richard A. Chole, MD, Ph.D St. Louis, Missouri |
| Roger L. Crumley, MD, MBA Orange, California |
Charles W. Cummings, MD Baltimore, Maryland |
| Ramon M. Esclamado, MD, MS Durham, North Carolina |
David W. Eisele, MD Baltimore, Maryland |
| Edward H. Farrior, MD Tampa, Florida |
Willard E. Fee, Jr., MD Redwood City, California |
| Ellen M. Friedman, MD Houston, Texas |
C. Gaelyn Garrett, MD, MMHC Nashville, Tennessee |
| Bruce J. Gantz, MD Iowa City, Iowa |
A. Julianna Gulya, MD Locust Grove, Virginia |
| James A. Hadley, MD Naples, Florida |
Gerald B. Healy, MD Wellesley, Massachusetts |
| Peter A. Hilger, MD Edina, Minnesota |
G. Richard Holt, MD, MPH, MABE, DBE San Antonio, Texas |
| Michael E. Johns, MD Atlanta, Georgia |
Herbert C. Jones, MD Atlanta, Georgia |
| Ronald B. Kuppersmith, MD, MBA Houston, Texas |
Paul R. Lambert, MD Charleston, South Carolina |
| Wayne F. Larrabee, Jr., MD Seattle, Washington |
Paul A. Levine, MD Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Jesus E. Medina, MD Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
Robert H. Miller, MD, MBA Houston, Texas |
| Richard T. Miyamoto, MD Indianapolis, Indiana |
Eugene N. Myers, MD Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| H. Bryan Neel, III, MD, Ph.D Rochester, Minnesota |
Robert H. Ossoff, MD, DMD Nashville, Tennessee |
| Ira D. Papel, MD Baltimore, Maryland |
Stephen S. Park, MD Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Harold C. Pillsbury, III, MD Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
John S. Rhee, MD, MPH Milkwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Robert J. Ruben, MD Bronx, New York |
David E. Schuller, MD Columbus, Ohio |
| Clough Shelton, MD Salt Lake City, Utah |
Kathleen C. Y. Sie, MD Seattle, Washington |
| Timothy L. Smith, MD, MPH Portland, Oregon |
Michael G. Stewart, MD, MPH New York, New York |
| M. Eugene Tardy, Jr., MD Naples, Florida |
Steven A. Telian, MD Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| James N. Thompson, MD Davidson, North Carolina |
Dean M. Toriumi, MD Chicago, Illinois |
| Neil O. Ward, MD Phoenix, Arizona |
Randal S. Weber, MD Houston, Texas |
| Mark C. Weissler, MD Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
Gayle E. Woodson, MD Merritt Island, Florida |
Exam Council Members
The ABOHNS Exam Council is composed of volunteers who lend their diverse personal and professional experience to preparation and administration of exams, as well as development of exam content. Members of the Exam Council are elected, and those who serve are eligible for nomination to be a Director. This group has representation from all specialty practice areas. Each Exam Council member serves a 3-year term, with up to two consecutive terms permitted.
| Exam Council Members | |
|---|---|
| Meredith Adams, MD Ann Arbor, MI |
Samantha Anne, MD Cleveland, OH |
| Nishant Agrawal, MD Chicago, IL |
Yuri Agrawal, MD Aurora, CO |
| Christina Baldassari, MD Norfolk, VA |
John Ballert, MD Paducah, KY |
| Alexander G. Bien, MD Oklahoma City, OK |
Deidra Blanks, MD Fayetteville, NC |
| Jonathan Bock, MD Milwaukee, WI |
Anthony Brissett, MD Houston, TX |
| Gene G. Brown III, MD Mount Pleasant, SC |
Sydney C. Butts, MD Brooklyn, NY |
| Cristina Cabrera-Muffly, MD Aurora, CO |
Gretchen Champion, MD Allen, TX |
| Swapna Chandran, MD Louisville, KY |
Rakesh Chandra, MD, MMHC Jackson, MS |
| Jolie Chang, MD San Francisco, CA |
David H. Chi, MD Pittsburgh, PA |
| Robert H. Chun, MD Milwaukee, WI |
James J. Daniero, MD, MS Charlottesville, VA |
| Chris Discolo, MD, MSCR Indianapolis, IN |
Marc Dubin, MD Towson, MD |
| Alexander Gelbard, MD Nashville, TN |
Tiffany Glazer, MD Madison, WI |
| Andrew Goldberg, MD, MS San Francisco, CA |
Steven Goudy, MD Norfolk, VA |
| Jed Grisel, MD Wichita Falls, TX |
Samuel Gubbels, MD Aurora, CO |
| Richard K. Gurgel, MD Salt Lake City, UT |
Nathan W. Hales, MD San Antonio, TX |
| Gina Jefferson, MD, MS Jackson, MS |
Lamont Jones, MD, MBA Detroit, MI |
| Brad Kesser, MD Charlottesville, VA |
P. Daniel Knott, MD San Francisco, CA |
| J. Walter Kutz, MD Dallas, TX |
Walter Lee, MD Durham, NC |
| Richard Manes, MD New Haven, CT |
Benjamin Marcus, MD Madison, WI |
| Chris McMains, MD San Antonio, TX |
Andrew McWhorter, MD Baton Rouge, LA |
| Tanya K. Meyer, MD Seattle, WA |
Stephanie Misono, MD Minneapolis, MN |
| Sarah Mowry, MD Cleveland, OH |
Rick F. Nelson, MD, PhD Bloomington, IN |
| Matthew Old Columbus, OH |
Krista Olson, MD Houston, TX |
| Julina Ongkasuwan, MD Houston, TX |
Samuel Oyer, MD Charlottesville, VA |
| Sanjay R. Parikh, MD Seattle, WA |
Alpen Patel, MD Baltimore, MD |
| Steven Pletcher, MD San Francisco, CA |
David Poetker, MD, MA Milwaukee, WI |
| Brianne Roby, MD Saint Paul, MN |
Cecelia E. Schmalbach, MD, MSC Philadelphia, PA |
| Jennifer Shin, MD, SM Boston, MA |
Lisa Shnayder, MD Kansas City, KS |
| David C. Shonka, Jr., MD Charlottesville, VA |
Maie St. John, MD, PhD Baltimore, MD |
| Emily Stucken, MD Ann Arbor, MI |
Elizabeth Toh, MD Burlington, MA |
| Deborah Watson, MD San Diego, CA |
Sarah Wise, MD Atlanta, GA |
| Troy Woodard, MD Cleveland, OH |
Charles Woodard, MD Durham, NC |
| Carlton J. Zdanski, MD Chapel Hill, NC |
Jose Zevallos, MD Pittsburgh, PA |
Oral Examiners
The ABOHNS Oral Examiners perform the essential role of administering the Oral Examination, which all otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons are required to pass to become board certified (see About Our Certifications). Oral Examiners spend two days administering the Exam to candidates, and additional days for training. More than 100 Oral Examiners contribute on many levels to each Oral Exam and their dedicated involvement is critical to the success of the certification process. Oral Examiners are appointed by the Board of Directors after review and consideration of the prior ABOHNS service of eligible nominations received each year.
Task Force for New Materials
The ABOHNS Item Writers are members of the Task Force for New Materials. These volunteers are essential contributors to the exam process. Appointed by the Board of Directors, they create, review, and revise the multiple choice questions used for ABOHNS assessments (see About Our Certifications). Item Writers serve on the Task Force for New Materials for a three year term.
| 2026-2027 Item Writers | ||
| Iram Ahmad, MD Palo Alto, California |
Samantha Allen, MD Washington, District of Columbia |
Brian Andrews, MD Iowa City, Iowa |
| Tokunbo Ayeni, MD San Francisco, California |
Renee Banakis Hartl, MD Ann Arbor, Michigan |
Semirra Bayan, MD Rochester, Minnesota |
| Ryan Belcher, MD Nashville, Tennessee |
Daniel Beswick, MD Los Angeles, California |
Michael Biavati, MD Dallas, Texas |
| Brian Boyce, MD Atlanta, Georgia |
Nathan Calloway, MD Raleigh, North Carolina |
William Carroll, MD Charleston, South Carolina |
| David Chen, MD Tucson, Arizona |
Jenny Chen, MD Baltimore, Maryland |
Boris Chernobilsky, MD New York, New York |
| Alexander Claussen, MD Iowa City, Iowa |
Emily Commesso, MD Durham, North Carolina |
Shumon Dhar, MD Dallas, Texas |
| Laura Dooley, MD Columbia, Missouri |
Madeleine Drusin, MD New York, New York |
Alexandra Espinel, MD Washington, District of Columbia |
| Nyssa Farrell, MD Saint Louis, Missouri |
Meha Fox, MD Houston, Texas |
Laura Garcia-Rodriguez, MD Detroit, Michigan |
| Philip Gaudreau, MD San Diego, California |
Mark Gilbert, MD Columbia, Missouri |
Ming Gray, MD New York, New York |
| Katherine Green, MD Aurora, Colorado |
Eli Groppo, MD Sacramento, California |
Erin Hamersley, MD Norfolk, Virginia |
| Catherine Haring, MD Columbus, Ohio |
Catherine Hart, MD Cincinnati, Ohio |
Samantha Hauff, MD San Diego, California |
| Tsung-yen Hsieh, MD Los Angeles, California |
Richard Hubbell, MD Maywood, Illinois |
Molly Huston, MD Saint Louis, Missouri |
| Tanisha Hutchinson, MD Sandy Springs, Georgia |
Michelle Hwang, MD Charleston, South Carolina |
Amal Isaiah, MD Baltimore, Maryland |
| Nicole Jiam, MD San Francisco, California |
Adam Johnson, MD Little Rock, Arkansas |
Elizabeth Katz, MD Athens, Georgia |
| Katherine Kavanagh, MD Hartford, Connecticut |
Elizabeth Kelly, MD Omaha, Nebraska |
Daniel Killeen, MD Dallas, Texas |
| Ian Koszewski, MD Madison, Wisconsin |
Yann-Fuu Kou, MD Dallas, Texas |
Natalie Krane, MD Portland, Oregon |
| Gi Soo Lee, MD Boston, Massachusetts |
Lauren Leeper, MD Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
Joshua Levine, MD Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Christopher Liu, MD Dallas, Texas |
Ben Lovin, MD Charlottesville, Virginia |
Jason May, MD Augusta, Georgia |
| Patrick McGarey, MD Charlottesville, Virginia |
Ashley Miller, MD Columbus, Ohio |
Nadia Mohyuddin, MD Houston, Texas |
| Kevin Motz, MD Baltimore, Maryland |
Hillary Newsome, MD Farmington, Connecticut |
Kathryn Noonan, MD Boston, Massachusetts |
| Benjamin Oberman, MD Durham, North Carolina |
Lindsay Olinde, MD Shreveport, Louisiana |
Michael Orestes, MD Bethesda, Maryland |
| Scott Owen, MD Iowa City, Iowa |
Enver Ozer, MD Columbus, Ohio |
Neil Patel, MD Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Phayvanh Pecha, MD Colorado Springs, Colorado |
Elizabeth Perkins, MD St. Louis Park, Minnesota |
Nora Perkins, MD Albany, New York |
| Cyrus Rabbani, MD Cleveland, Ohio |
Vaibhav Ramprasad, MD Cleveland, Ohio |
Sarah Rapoport, MD Washington, District of Columbia |
| Yin Ren, MD Columbus, Ohio |
Julianna Rodin, MD Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Todd Schneider, MD Rochester, New York |
| Morgan Selleck, MD Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
Elizabeth Shuman, MD Los Angeles, California |
Sunthosh Sivam, MD Houston, Texas |
| Daniel Spielman, MD Washington, District of Columbia |
Daniel Sun, MD Cincinnati, Ohio |
Larissa Sweeny, MD Miami, Florida |
| Akina Tamaki, MD Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Zahrah Taufique, MD New York, New York |
Hosai Todd Hesham, MD Silver Spring, Maryland |
| Joshua Tokita, MD Anchorage, Alaska |
Michael Topf, MD Nashville, Tennessee |
Melanie Townsend, MD Louisville, Kentucky |
| Jordan Virbalas, MD Oakland, California |
Ellen Wang, MD Frisco, Texas |
Rachel Whelan, MD Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Ryan Williams, MD New York, New York |
Mary Xu, MD San Francisco, California |
William Yao, MD Houston, Texas |
| Christina Yver, MD Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
Staff
Our staff members are here to support physicians and uphold our mission. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions you may have by calling our office at 713-850-0399 or emailing our staff by selecting their image below.
Administration
Exam Development
Training Programs / Otolaryngology Training Exam
Primary & Subspecialty Certification
Continuing Certification
