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ECFMG and FAIMER Boards Elect New Trustees

The Boards of Trustees of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG®) and the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER®), both members of Intealth, elected four new trustees at their final meeting of the year on December 2-3. The new trustees will serve an initial four-year term with an option for re-election to a second term.

In addition, the ECFMG Board of Trustees elected Maryellen E. Gusic, MD, as Chair for a two-year term. She succeeds Andrew T. Filak Jr., MD, who served an additional year as Chair as the organization navigated the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. A renowned medical educator, Dr. Gusic recently was named Senior Associate Dean of Education and Professor of Biomedical Education and Data Science and Pediatrics at Temple University’s Lewis Katz School of Medicine in Philadelphia. The ECFMG Board also elected Peter F. Buckley, MD, to a two-year term as Vice Chair, succeeding Dr. Gusic. A leader in Psychiatry, Dr. Buckley currently is Dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine in Richmond, and Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs at VCU Health. He will assume the role of Chancellor of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in February 2022.

“We are very grateful to Dr. Filak for his leadership above and beyond his designated term as we addressed the challenges of the pandemic and important changes to ECFMG Certification,” said William W. Pinsky, MD, President and CEO of ECFMG and Board Chair of FAIMER. “The continuity of leadership he provided during that critical time helped ECFMG emerge as a stronger, more agile organization.”

Jeanette Mladenovic, MD, President of FAIMER, welcomed the new members who were selected following a call for nominations. “We are very pleased to welcome these four accomplished individuals to our Boards,” Dr. Mladenovic said. “They all bring significant skills and experience to the stewardship of ECFMG and FAIMER as we explore new opportunities to advance the global health workforce.”

The December meeting also was the last for Ronald R. Blanck, DO; Asqual Getaneh, MD, MPH; and James F. Pelegano, MD, MS, who concluded their terms as trustees. “I thank Dr. Blanck, Dr. Getaneh, and Dr. Pelegano for their years of dedication to ECFMG and FAIMER,” said Dr. Gusic, the new Chair of the ECFMG Board. “Their experience and expertise have been important to our work during a time of significant growth and change. We are grateful for their contributions and their service.”

The new trustees, whose terms begin immediately, are:

Nael A. Abouzaki, JD
Mr. Abouzaki is an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for the Henrico County, Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, and an Adjunct Law Professor at the University of Richmond School of Law in Richmond, Virginia. He served previously as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Offices in Hanover and Montgomery counties in Virginia, and as a Fellow with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office in Richmond. Mr. Abouzaki received his law degree from the George Mason University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in political science and criminal justice from VCU. He is a member of the Virginia Bar. Trilingual in English, Spanish, and Arabic, Mr. Abouzaki is well-versed in issues related to international medical graduates (IMGs).

Ricardo R. Correa, MD, EdD
Dr. Correa serves as Director of the endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism fellowship program; Director of GME Diversity; and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. In addition, he is a staff endocrinologist at the Phoenix VA Medical Center and Associate Professor of Medicine at Creighton University School of Medicine. Dr. Correa received his medical and education degrees from the University of Panama. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Miami – Jackson Memorial Hospital and a fellowship in endocrinology at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Correa is Chair-elect of the IMG Section Governing Council of the American Medical Association and also has served in various roles with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the United States Medical Licensing Examination®, the National Board of Medical Examiners®, the National Hispanic Medical Association, and the World Medical Association.

George E. Kikano, MD
Dr. Kikano is Vice President for Health Affairs at Central Michigan University (CMU) in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and Dean of the CMU College of Medicine as well as Professor of Medicine. In addition, he serves as Chair of the Board of CMU Medical Education Partners and Vice Chair of the Board of the Michigan Health Improvement Alliance. Before joining CMU, Dr. Kikano was the Dorothy Jones Weatherhead Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. An IMG from Lebanon, Dr. Kikano earned his medical degree from the American University of Beirut and completed a residency in family medicine at the University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. Dr. Kikano remains a practicing family physician. He serves on the Council of Deans of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and has been involved in various initiatives related to global medical education and global health.

Debra F. Weinstein, MD
Dr. Weinstein is Executive Vice Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Michigan Medical School and Chief Academic Officer for Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She assumed these roles in November 2021, having served previously as Vice President for GME at Mass General Brigham and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Weinstein obtained her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital. A past residency program director, she has served on the board of ACGME, the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Governance and Financing of GME, and as Chair of the AAMC’s Group on Resident Affairs. In addition, Dr. Weinstein is a recipient of the ACGME Parker J. Palmer Courage to Lead Award and John C. Gienapp Award. She also served on the Massachusetts Governor’s Advisory Council for Refugees and Immigrants Task Force on Immigrant Health Care Professionals.

About Intealth
Intealth brings together the expertise and resources that advance quality in health care education worldwide in order to improve health care for all. Through strategic integration of its nonprofit members, Intealth offers a flexible and multi-layered portfolio of services. These services enhance and support the education and training of health care professionals, verify their qualifications required to practice, and inform the development of health workforce policies around the world. By leveraging these combined competencies of its members, Intealth powers innovation in areas critical to the health professions.

Intealth is an integrated organization that includes the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER).

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