OUR PEOPLE

Dr. Karani was elected as chair, having previously served as treasurer. She is director of the Institute for Medical Education and a professor of medicine, medical education, and geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Karani is a founding co-director of the Harvard Macy Program for Postgraduate Trainees. She served as a member of council and chair of the Education Committee for the Society of General Internal Medicine, and she is on the board of directors of the American Geriatrics Society. At NBME, she currently serves on the USMLE Composite Committee, the NBME Finance & Audit Committees, and the Step 3 Computer Case Simulation Test Material Development Committee. Dr. Karani also chairs the USMLE Patient Characteristics Advisory Panel, focused on ensuring exam content, practices, and review processes consider patient characteristics in a manner that mitigates bias and is consistent with contemporary scientific knowledge and understanding.

Dr. Karani received a Bachelor of Science from Brown University and a Doctor of Medicine from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She completed her residency and chief residency in Primary Care Internal Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She completed her fellowship, chief fellowship, and medical education research fellowship in Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at Mount Sinai. She also received a Master of Health Professions Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Dr. Karani’s commitment to equity and justice is evident in her work. Her current scholarship is focused on reducing stereotyping and bias in assessment and explores the socialization and learning experiences in the clinical learning environment of students historically excluded from medicine. Dr. Karani’s work also explores how dominant values and beliefs that underpin the clinical workplace environment influence the experiences and professional identity of these vulnerable learners.

Dr. Foley was elected as vice chair, having previously served as an at-large member of NBME’s Board of Directors. She is a professor and the dean of the College of Nursing at Seton Hall University and an adjunct professor of pediatrics at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University. Dr. Foley has been engaged in nursing practice and education for more than 35 years. She is a pediatric nurse and has taught students at all levels of their education, including undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students. She is a member of and holds leadership positions in various nursing organizations and serves on the executive board of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership.

Dr. Foley received a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She received a Master of Science in nursing education and a Doctor of Philosophy in theory development and research in nursing from New York University.

Dr. Milling was elected as treasurer, having previously served as an at-large member of NBME’s Board of Directors. He is an associate professor of medicine at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo (UB), where he also serves as executive director of the Office of Medical Education and senior associate dean for Medical Education. Dr. Milling has responsibility for the Offices of Student and Academic Affairs, Medical Curriculum, and Medical Admissions. He oversees the development, delivery, and success of the medical educational program, including oversight of the school’s clinical competency and simulation centers. He is a two-time recipient of the Louis A. and Ruth Siegel Award for Teaching Excellence (1994 and 2000). As program director for the Jacobs School’s Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) and director of the Associated Medical Schools of New York’s Post-Baccalaureate Program, Dr. Milling is involved in improving the workforce numbers and the pipeline to medicine for underrepresented students in New York state.

Dr. Milling received a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Buffalo. He completed his residency in internal medicine at UB, serving as chief resident. Following residency, he completed a primary care faculty development fellowship at Michigan State University.

Alfred F. Tallia is immediate past chair of the NBME Board of Directors. Previously, he was treasurer and an at-large member of the board. Dr. Tallia is professor and chair, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and a Fellow in the Rutgers Center for Organizational Leadership.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Fordham University in New York and his medical degree from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He completed his residency and fellowship in family medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. He also earned his master’s degree in public health in health care organization and administration at Rutgers.

Dr. Tallia has been associated with NBME since 1996 and has served in a number of roles. He chaired the USMLE Step 3 Community-based Care Committee, the Post Licensure Assessment System Governing Committee, and the Committee to Evaluate the USMLE Program, and served on the USMLE Budget Committee.

Peter J. Katsufrakis is president and CEO of NBME. Dr. Katsufrakis previously served as senior vice president of Assessment Programs at the NBME and is recognized nationally in the medical education and assessment community, both for his work at the NBME and in past roles advancing professionalism, HIV education, clinical training, and medical education administration.

Prior to joining the NBME, Dr. Katsufrakis’s positions included associate dean for student affairs and associate professor of clinical family medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, where he received several teaching and outstanding service awards for his work. He has also served as a clinical associate professor of family and community medicine, at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University.

Dr. Katsufrakis is licensed to practice medicine in Pennsylvania and is a diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine. He is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and has served many organizations as a member, including the International AIDS Society, the American Academy of HIV Medicine, and the Association of American Medical Colleges Group on Student Affairs in many roles on committees and task forces.

Dr. Hammoud was elected to a second term as an at-large member. She is the J. Robert Willson Research Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and professor of learning health sciences at the University of Michigan Medical School, as well as the chief of the women’s health division and associate chair for education. Dr. Hammoud has held many leadership roles in the past, including assistant and associate deans at Michigan and at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. Her current national leadership roles include serving as senior advisor for Medical Education Innovations at the American Medical Association (AMA) with a focus on health systems science and coaching. She is the immediate past president of the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO) and chaired NBME’s International Foundations of Medicine (IFOM) committee for many years. Dr. Hammoud is the current principal investigator on a $1.75 million Reimagining Residency grant from the AMA on transforming the UME to GME transition. Her research is in medical education with a special focus on the use of technology in education and the role of academic coaching in learners’ development.

Dr. Hammoud received a Doctor of Medicine and Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan, where she also completed her residency training.

Dr. King was elected as a first term at-large member. She is a primary care internal medicine physician at the University of Vermont Medical Center and a professor at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, where she has been active in teaching both medical students and residents in internal medicine. Dr. King previously served on the Vermont Board of Medical Practice and as chair of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB).

Dr. King received a Bachelor of Arts in zoology from Miami University and a Doctor of Philosophy in biology from Brown University. She went on to receive a Doctor of Medicine from The Robert Larner, MD College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Vermont.

Dr. Nosanchuk was elected as a first term at-large member. He is the senior associate dean for medical education at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he also serves as a professor in the Departments of Microbiology & Immunology and Medicine. His areas of research include medical education, assessment, fungal pathogenesis, host-pathogen biology, regenerative medicine, and innovative therapeutics.

Dr. Nosanchuk received a bachelor’s degree in history and a Doctor of Medicine from Cornell University. He completed his residency at New York Hospital-Cornell and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, followed by a fellowship at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Dr. Pêgo was elected as a first term at-large member. He is the founder and CEO of iCognitus and an anesthesiologist and assistant professor of pharmacology, anesthesiology, and critical care at the School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. Dr. Pêgo is the coordinator of the “Lifelong Learning and Assessment in Health Professions” research team at Life and Health Science Research Institute. He is mainly interested in the effects of chronic stress on emotional behavior and understanding the underlying mechanisms. He is also interested in the cognitive skills assessment process. Dr. Pêgo completed the Fundamentals of Assessment in Medical Education (FAME) course conducted by the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER) and NBME, and he is a member of the European Board of Medical Assessors.

Dr. Pêgo received a Doctor of Medicine from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Porto and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Minho.

Dr. Takanishi was elected to a second term as an at-large member. He is a tenured professor and associate chair for academic affairs of the Department of Surgery at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). Dr. Takanishi has served in a number of roles at JABSOM, including General Surgery Residency Program director for 13 years, chair of the department of surgery for 11 years, faculty senate president, and faculty accreditation lead for the medical school’s accreditation site visit in 2017. He has also served in several roles with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). In 2020, Dr. Takanishi served on NBME’s Hubbard Award Committee and International Oversight Committee. He also served on the USMLE Composite Committee, the USMLE Management Committee, and the Interdisciplinary Review Committee.

Dr. Takanishi received a Bachelor of Science in medical technology from the University of Hawai’i and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine.

Dr. Thomas was elected as a first term at-large member. He recently retired from clinical practice in St. Paul, Minnesota, to become an ENT medical director for UnitedHealthcare. Prior to his career shift, he spent 26 years in private practice, leading a group of 21 otolaryngologists as President and CEO for seven of those years. During that time, Dr. Thomas was active in the administration of United Hospital, the state capital’s largest hospital, where he held a variety of leadership positions, including chief of staff. He was also active in the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), serving on numerous committees and holding a variety of leadership roles, including chair. He served as chair of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission (IMLCC). Currently, Dr. Thomas is chair of the Committee for Individualized Review of the USMLE. He sits on the board of directors of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. In addition, he serves on the Editorial Committee for the American Association for Physician Leadership.

Dr. Thomas received a bachelor’s degree from Carleton College. He received a Doctor of Medicine at Mayo Medical School and completed his residency training at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery with a subspecialty interest in head and neck tumors. He received a Master of Business Administration in medical group management from the University of St. Thomas.

Mr. Weismann was elected to a second term as an at-large member. He serves as founder and CEO of The Impactful, a global community of leaders working in the areas of climate, health, education, and sustainability. Mr. Weismann has worked with some of the most influential organizations in the world in over 40 countries and six continents. In addition to founding The Impactful, he collaborated with the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to launch the first-ever pancreatic cancer multidisciplinary clinic. He serves on the Patient & Family Advisory Committee at UT Southwestern Cancer Center and on the Steering Committee at Temple Emanu-El Childhood Development Center.

Mr. Weismann received a Bachelor of Arts from Claremont McKenna College. He received master’s degrees from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin and the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.