Dr. Chun-Hsi Chung Installed as President of the American Board of Orthodontics
Dr. Chun-Hsi Chung
Philadelphia — The American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) has installed Dr. Chun-Hsi Chung, Penn Dental Medicine’s Chauncey M. F. Egel Endowed Chair of the Department of Orthodontics, as president. The installation was held in conjunction with the 2017 Annual Session of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), held in San Diego, Calif., in April.
The ABO is the only orthodontic specialty board recognized by the American Dental Association and in affiliation with the AAO. Board certification is a process by which an individual orthodontist is voluntarily examined by his/her peers as to orthodontic knowledge and clinical skills. The passage of the examination process is a demonstration to the dental profession and the general public of the orthodontist’s pursuit of continued proficiency and excellence in orthodontics.
Each ABO director represents one of the eight constituent organizations of the AAO and serves an eight-year term. The ABO directors are responsible for establishing policy with regard to the board certification of specialists in orthodontics. During his tenure as an ABO director, Dr. Chung has represented the Middle Atlantic Society of Orthodontists.
“It has been a great honor for me to serve as a director of the American Board of Orthodontics,” says Dr. Chung. “I have had the privilege to collaborate with a group of dedicated current and previous ABO directors to strive toward our goal, which is to elevate the quality of orthodontic care for the public. Through the years, the ABO certification process has continued to evolve. More recently, the environment of the orthodontic specialty has been rapidly changing; thus, it is necessary for ABO to be responsive to the changes.”
“For the coming year as president, I look forward to working closely with colleagues on how to respond intelligently to the environmental changes in terms of the certification process,” he continues. “I will focus more on promoting board certification for new orthodontic graduates and experienced practitioners. The goal is to have the majority of AAO members board certified in the near future.”
Dr. Chung, who has been board certified since 2002, serves on the ABO’s Executive Committee. He is also the ABO’s liaison to the American Association of Orthodontists, the College of Diplomates of the American Board of Orthodontics, the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, the Council on Dental Education and Licensure, the Graduate Orthodontic Residents Program, the World Federation of Orthodontists, and the Society of Educators. In addition, he is serving on the planning committee for the 2018 AAO Annual Session, which will be held in Washington, D.C. He also serves as the co-chair of the Doctors’ Program for the 2018 AAO Annual Session. He is a member of the Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists and is a consultant to the Commission on Dental Accreditation.
The other officers of the ABO are Dr. Larry Tadlock of Colleyville, Texas, president-elect; and Dr. Nicholas Barone of Lincoln, R.I., secretary/treasurer. Dr. Steven Dugoni of South San Francisco, Calif., is the immediate past president.