A Note from Our New Director: Nathan D. Schroeder, DMD, MS, FACS

I am excited and honored to have been nominated and elected by my peers on the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery’s Examination Committee and subsequently confirmed by the AAOMS House of Delegates to the position of Director for ABOMS. The endorsement of trust bestowed by my many friends, colleagues, and co-examiners to serve in this capacity is humbling in a way impossible to quantify with words alone and I hope my service in the years to come will validate that trust.

The mission of ABOMS is vital to the integrity of our profession and the preservation and expansion of our scope of practice. Board Certification acts as a professional seal of approval to convey trust and competency. When a patient seeks care with a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon, they are assured that their provider has completed a fair yet rigorous vetting of their education, knowledge, skills, and critical thinking. That most of our specialty seeks to attain Board Certification further underscores the value and importance of our mission. Vital to the certification process are the knowledge, skills, and efforts of the very best and brightest in our profession who comprise the ABOMS Examination Committee. Supporting these outstanding scholars and practitioners are a devoted professional team who work tirelessly throughout the year to coordinate and complete the many critical tasks which support our Diplomates’ credentialing and Certification Maintenance.

In our modern world of artificial intelligence, social media influencers, and rapidly expanding technology, professional credentialing has become more imperative than ever before. Our Board remains rooted in the principles of integrity, excellence, and professionalism. The credibility of our institution and our Diplomates is born of data-driven, time-proven testing and credentialing standards. The value that credentialing imparts to our Diplomates lies in their ability to legitimately assert to their patients that they have met the required standards of ABOMS.

I embrace the challenges and responsibilities of the next eight years and pledge to devote my talents and abilities to the efforts of our phenomenal team of Directors as we embrace the principles of servant-leadership while striving to advance our Board’s mission in the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare. I’m grateful for the loving support of my family and my wonderful wife in this endeavor. They keep me focused and grounded in the guiding perspective of my moral compass which points to the attainment of true joy from loving and serving others.

Sincerely,

Nathan D. Schroeder, DMD, MS, FACS