A Message from Your President: Deepak Kademani, DMD, MD, FACS

Greetings from Minneapolis and the Land of 10,000 Lakes! I am truly honored by the opportunity to serve as your President of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

As Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, we practice a most unique surgical discipline that blends both medicine and surgery with the art and science of dentistry.  This year, we continue to focus on how we may best serve the public, our Diplomates and our specialty by leaning on our “patient first” values and our mission to ensure that Diplomates meet and maintain the gold standard of surgical education and professionalism – Board Certification – throughout their careers.

I look forward to working with our dedicated Board of Directors who serve selflessly as volunteers for the benefit of our specialty, our exceptional Examination Committee and our incredible staff led by our new CEO, Christina Tomaso. Since joining ABOMS leadership, Christina has already greatly improved our operations, and we look forward to her many positive contributions.

We have an exciting year of transformative initiatives planned. In line with the American Board of Surgery, in 2025 for the first time, ABOMS published the 5-year average Board Certification pass rates for every accredited OMS residency training program. This effort to improve transparency allows faculty to ensure they are best serving their resident trainees through the Board Certification process.  We are currently updating the examination processes for two Certificates of Added Qualifications – Head and Neck Oncologic and Reconstructive Surgery, and Pediatric Craniomaxillofacial Surgery (Cleft and Craniofacial). We continue to support a web-based portal that provides a blueprint for self-directed residency education, and we are developing psychometrically validated simulation testing for incorporation into the oral examination. To reflect our specialty's growth, we are exploring dual accreditation to be recognized as both a medical and dental specialty. 

I would like to thank our Immediate Past President, Dr. David Powers, for his exceptional leadership. His steady and thoughtful guidance paved a successful pathway for many of our initiatives, including the pursuit of dual specialty accreditation and the successful, nationwide search for a CEO. We are also indebted to our outgoing Director, Dr. Pushkar Mehra, for many years of dedicated service to the Board, and as Past President. His visionary leadership led to changes in our Director election process and he leaves an indelible legacy.

 Congratulations to Dr. Nathan Schroeder as the newly elected Director of the Board.  Notably, Dr. Schroeder is the first Director to be elected through the new and independent voting process within the ABOMS leadership and examination committee. We look forward to his many contributions during his tenure. I would like to extend a note of gratitude to the AAOMS Officers, Trustees and House of Delegates for working collaboratively with our Board to facilitate this important change towards ABOMS’ self-governance.

The holiday season brings a time of reflection, and I would like to thank two of my mentors who had a profound impact on shaping my career: Dr. Peter Quinn and Dr. Eric Dierks. They taught me not only the technical aspects of surgery but more importantly the attributes of empathy, compassion, and service.  During this season of gratitude, I encourage you to reflect and reach out to those who have invested in you or inspired you.

Lastly, ABOMS thrives on harnessing the talents of our richly diverse pool of surgeons. If you are looking for ways to impact future generations, please consider applying for the Examination Committee. Volunteering with ABOMS will be, without doubt, one of the most rewarding professional experiences you will have.

Wishing you and your loved ones peace, joy and good health this holiday season. 

Yours in service,

Deepak Kademani, DMD, MD, FACS