American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology Selects George D. Wendel, Jr., MD as Executive Director

"Dr. Wendel's commitment to our mission and to serving the needs of our diplomates make him an outstanding choice to lead this organization," said Dr. Deborah A. Driscoll, MD, President of the ABOG Board of Directors.  "We also thank Dr. Gilstrap for his 11 years of leadership to ABOG.  Dr. Wendel is a natural successor to Dr. Gilstrap having served in accreditation and certification roles with ABOG and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and most recently as Director of Maintenance of Certification (MOC).  He has demonstrated a commitment to excellence and a willingness to embrace change and quality improvement in our programs."  

"I am humbled and honored to have been selected for this position," said Dr. Wendel.  "Dr. Gilstrap, the executive leadership, the Board of Directors and our ABOG team have developed new and innovative certification processes and MOC programs.  Our current programs are valuable and relevant, and some are best practices among certification boards.  The ABOG is responsible to respond to changes in health care, training, and technology to ensure that our processes adequately evaluate the competencies required of obstetricians and gynecologists and subspecialists in the future.  I look forward to continuing this important mission."

"Dr. Wendel is an ideal choice for the ABOG executive director position," said Dr. Larry Gilstrap, MD, current executive director.  "Having known him for more than 20 years, I can say with confidence that he possesses the attributes and experience that will help him work successfully with the Board of Directors to serve patients, the public, and our diplomates.  He is renowned for his expertise in infectious diseases and sexually transmitted infection (STIs) in pregnancy, and he is highly regarded as an educator and residency program director.  As I prepare to step down, I am pleased that I am leaving the board in Dr. Wendel's capable hands."

About Dr. Wendel

George D. Wendel, Jr., MD joined the ABOG as the Assistant to the Director of Evaluation in 2012 and was appointed the Director of Maintenance of Certification in 2013.  He is a former member and Director of the ABOG Maternal-Fetal Medicine Division and was a member of the Board of Directors from 2004-2012. 

Prior to joining the ABOG, he was Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Division at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School where he was a faculty member for 30 years.   He served as residency program director at Parkland Memorial Hospital from 1992 to 2012.  He held the Bud Brekken Professorship, the Norman Gant Chair and served as Vice-Chair for education.  He currently serves as a Clinical Professor and is on the medical staff at Parkland Hospital.

His areas of academic research and expertise are STIs and HIV in women and pregnancy, maternal and perinatal infections, and drug addiction in pregnancy.  He had been a consultant to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the NIH, and the NIAID regarding STI treatment guidelines and bioterrorism response and preparedness.  He has authored over 120 peer-reviewed articles and more than 50 invited articles and book chapters.

He was a member of the ACGME Residency Review Committee for Obstetrics and Gynecology from 2007 to 2012 and served as Chair for three years.  He was a member of the Duty Hours Task Force from 2009-2010 and served as the Chair of the Council of Review Committees and a member of the Board of Directors from 2011-2012.  Dr. Wendel currently serves on the American Board of Medical Specialties Committee on Continuing Certification.

Dr. Wendel was certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1985 and in Maternal-Fetal Medicine in 1987.  He is currently meeting the requirements for MOC.  He is also a Fellow of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

About ABOG

The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology is an independent, non-profit organization that certifies obstetricians and gynecologists in the United States.  Founded in 1930, the ABOG is one of 24 specialty Boards recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties.  Based in Dallas, the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology is the certifying body for 45,000 diplomates in the United States and Canada.  ABOG oversees a continuous Maintenance of Certification process.

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SOURCE American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Related Links

http://www.abog.org