Board Director News

ABPMR Announces New Board Chair James T. McDeavitt, MD

The ABPMR is pleased to announce the new chair of the board of directors. James T. McDeavitt MD was elected as chair last January and began his term in August 2019; he will serve a three-year term. Anthony Chiodo MD now serves as past chair.

“Dr McDeavitt is an effective, strategic leader with a strong vision for the future of the ABPMR,” says Dr Chiodo. “He understands the current challenges and opportunities in board certification and is adept at seeking out all points of view. He’s committed to strengthening our strategic alliances to benefit the field, and in everything he has done on the board, Dr McDeavitt has sought to build the ABPMR’s dedication to excellence.”

The ABPMR chair is responsible for leading meetings of the ABPMR Board of Directors and attending all ABPMR committee meetings, but the person in this role also has various commitments as the organization’s leader in partnership with executive director Carolyn Kinney MD. This includes strategic meetings with leadership of PM&R specialty societies like the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) and the Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP), as well as representing the ABPMR for various initiatives of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS).

Since becoming an ABPMR board director in 2010, Dr McDeavitt has served in several leadership roles, including as treasurer on the Executive Committee, and as chair of the Credentials and Communications Committees. Prior to his service as a board director, he volunteered for the ABPMR for many years, including serving as an item writer on the Part I Examination Committee and as an examiner for the Part II Examination.

Dr McDeavitt earned his medical degree from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and completed his residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

He now serves as senior vice president and dean of clinical affairs at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, where he also serves as professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R). In addition, he serves as chief clinical integration officer for CHI St Luke’s Health System, a 18-hospital delivery system in Houston and East Texas. His clinical expertise is in brain injury medicine with additional experience in academic practice management, change management, and population health.

In addition to primary certification in PM&R, Dr McDeavitt holds subspecialty certification in brain injury medicine, and is participating in MOC for both certifications. He is also certified by the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine.

The ABPMR congratulates Dr McDeavitt on his new position and looks forward to his leadership.


Originally Published: September 17, 2019