Advisory Council

The Board has benefited from the input of the subspecialty societies through its Advisory Councils, which were initiated in May 2000. The purpose of the Advisory Council is to engage in the development of examination programs for the Board as medical subspecialty content experts. This is an important group to not only assist with item-writing for development of the Written Exam and Continuous Certification Self-Assessments, but also because they are the pool from which the next Board of Directors members can be selected (in the appropriate content areas). Service as an Advisory Council member is a prerequisite for eligibility to be elected as a Director of the Board.

The current Advisory Council Members were nominated from one of the following specialty organizations: the American Association of Plastic Surgeons (AAPS), the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the Aesthetic Society (ASAPS), the American Association for Hand Surgery (AAHS), the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH), the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons (ASMS), the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery (ASRM) and the American Society of Craniofacial Surgeons (ASCFS).

SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS OF THE BOARD

The American Board of Plastic Surgery, Inc. consists of at least 20 Directors who manage the affairs of the Board. The Board elects one Director from names submitted by the American Board of Surgery. Public member(s) are elected from nominations submitted by the Directors. The Board elects at least 19 Directors from former and current Advisory Council members. Nominations to the Advisory Council are submitted by the following 20 sponsoring organizations:

• The Aesthetic Surgery Education & Research Foundation, Inc.
• American Council of Educators in Plastic Surgery
• The American Association for Hand Surgery
• The American Head and Neck Society
• American Association of Pediatric Plastic Surgeons
• American Association of Plastic Surgeons
• The American Burn Association
• American Cleft-Palate Craniofacial Association
• American College of Surgeons
• American Society for the Peripheral Nerve
• The Aesthetic Society
• The American Society of Craniofacial Surgery
• The American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery
• The American Society for Surgery of the Hand
• The American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons
• American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Inc.
• The American Surgical Association
• Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons
• The Plastic Surgery Research Council
• Plastic Surgery Foundation

Once elected to the Board, the Director’s primary obligation is to the Board and not to the Sponsoring Organization.