Hematology Board Meeting Summary | Spring 2026
The Hematology Board held its spring meeting on May 4, 2026. A representative of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) joined for a portion of the meeting*.
ABIM and the Hematology Board gratefully acknowledge the service of Meghan Gutierrez and Ishmael A. Jaiyesimi, DO, whose terms on the Specialty Board ended June 30, 2026. Ms. Gutierrez and Dr. Jaiyesimi both joined the Hematology Board in 2020.
The following is a summary of the spring meeting. Visit the ABIM Blog for reports of prior meetings.
ABIM Leadership Update*
Furman S. McDonald, MD, MPH, President and CEO of ABIM and the ABIM Foundation, discussed progress on ABIM’s strategic initiatives, including:
- Customized learning plans via collaboration with the American College of Physicians (ACP) that launched in February. A new feature in ACP’s Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program (MKSAP) allows subscribers to import their most recent ABIM internal medicine assessment results directly into their account, which will suggest learning tools to build a tailored plan.
- Enhancing early career physician engagement through an interactive online community platform, tailored resources for residency programs and the creation of an Early Career Committee, which will begin meeting in July.
- Progress of the Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) Special Consideration Pathway pilot for International Medical Graduates (IMGs), which has received more than 160 applicants to date. ABIM is using the pilot to test a model for board eligibility using a CBME framework, while removing barriers for physicians who meet the same standards as peers who completed accredited internal medicine training.
- The recently expanded blueprint review process, which involves a schedule of plans for updating blueprints in every specialty over the next several years. Practicing physicians in each specialty will continue to be invited to participate in updating each blueprint to reflect current practice.
- Recent communications about the importance of exam integrity and, in particular, the appropriate use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools on the Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA®).
Discussion continued on the impact of AI on assessments. Dr. McDonald shared that the vast majority of LKA users—more than 99%—are using it appropriately but noted that it in order to uphold the validity of the assessment, it is important for everyone to keep in mind the policies prohibiting the disclosure of assessment content with others or copying and pasting content into AI tools.
Another topic of discussion was ABIM’s Needs-Based Certification Exam Fee Assistance pilot, which offers a 50% credit on the initial certification exam to candidates attesting to financial need. Piloted in 2025 for the 2026 Internal Medicine Certification Exam administration, the program provided support to over 800 eligible applicants. Eligibility criteria include factors such as debt due to educational expenses, caregiving responsibilities, major illness and other unforeseen expenses. ABIM has allocated additional funding for the next five years.
Developing a Quality Agenda in Hematology*
As a next step in the development of a discipline-specific Quality Agenda, Specialty Board members engaged in breakout discussions to further refine the aims, drivers and relevant society strategies agreed upon by the Specialty Board and specialty society colleagues. The Quality Agenda is one of the standards for continuing certification issued by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) for all Member Boards in 2021. This standard requires that Member Boards “facilitate the process for developing an agenda for improving the quality of care in their specialties.” (ABMS Standards for Continuing Certification, p. 15: Requirements for Member Boards, 18. Quality Agenda.)
The Specialty Board discussed three key areas of the Quality Agenda:
- On health equity in hematologic care, members discussed the particularly poor outcomes experienced by patients in rural areas due to underrepresentation and limited access to quality care. Members emphasized that trust in healthcare providers significantly influences patient participation in clinical trials, especially among underrepresented minorities—a dynamic particularly pronounced in hematology. The Hematology Board discussed practical strategies for improving access, such as the financial viability of incentivizing primary care providers to specialize in sickle cell disease, and telehealth services for new patients across state lines.
- Regarding care transitions, the Specialty Board discussed how collaboration between pediatric and adult hematologists can improve care transitions for patients with sickle cell disease. They highlighted this as an important area for the Quality Agenda to address.
- On workforce and access, the Hematology Board discussed shortages and strategies to build the pipeline, including promoting the ASH ambassador program and mentorship opportunities to engage medical students in hematology, as well as potential funding sources for educational initiatives on iron deficiency anemia in internal medicine, obstetrics and pediatrics.
Review the full Hematology Quality Agenda.
Physicians Engaging in Improving Health and Health Care*
ABMS Standard 19 (ABMS Standards for Continuing Certification, p. 16) focuses on increasing the proportion of physicians engaged in improving health and health care, including quality improvement and patient safety. It requires ongoing reporting, increased participation and collaboration to ease engagement and reporting burdens. ABIM is not reintroducing a requirement for individual diplomates to participate in quality improvement activities. Instead, ABIM will look to increase engagement in and recognition of quality improvement activities through existing pathways. In addition, ABIM will develop and implement new opportunities to recognize and reward diplomate engagement in quality improvement under the expanded definition. The Hematology Board discussed how to define quality improvement in a way that is meaningful and accessible for community practitioners.
Focused Hematology LKAs: Initial Rollout Results*
In 2026, ABIM launched two focused versions of the LKA in hematology alongside the Hematology General LKA: one with a malignant hematology focus and the other with a classical hematology focus. The focused versions provide a greater proportion of questions in focus areas while still supporting the main certification area. ABIM is offering any physician currently enrolled in the Hematology General LKA the opportunity to switch to a focus area this year, while anyone due for an assessment now or in the future can enroll in their due year during the enrollment period (December 1 to November 15).
Rebecca S. Lipner, Ph.D., Chief Assessment Science Officer, Assessment and Research, presented an overview of the launch, emphasizing a data-driven methodology to better align exam content with real-world physician practice. Using survey data, cluster analysis and claims data, ABIM identifies meaningful practice-based groupings to inform focused blueprints, provided these groupings meet participation and content overlap thresholds. Early implementation across hematology, oncology and gastroenterology has demonstrated strong uptake and significant operational scaling, including expanded Item-Writing Task Forces and Approval Committees, and targeted communications to ensure physicians understand their options in each specialty.
Oversight of Training in Hematology*
Erica N. Johnson, MD, FACP, FIDSA, Senior Vice President for Academic and Medical Affairs, and Michael Melfe, Director, Academic Affairs, presented training and certification data, leading to conversation on trends in eligibility, match outcomes and special consideration pathways. The Hematology Board discussed at length the trend of physicians who are becoming certified in both hematology and oncology to keep career options open, with some physicians later allowing their hematology board certification to lapse and maintaining only their medical oncology certification. Members noted that this pattern has implications for the classical hematology workforce and discussed retraining pathways for physicians who lose board eligibility, and other pathways to expand board eligibility, including the faculty Specialty Consideration Pathway and the CBME pilot.
The Specialty Board reviewed updates on the ASH Hematology Focused Fellowship Training Program (HFFTP), which has successfully trained new classical hematologists and placed them in academic positions, and discussed the importance of mentorship and educational programs, including the ASH ambassador program, to increase medical students’ interest in hematology.
Oversight of Hematology Assessments*
A large part of the purview of the Specialty Board is oversight of the assessments. Each year, they examine data from assessments in each discipline. Members received population-level information, assessment participation updates and performance data to support informed decision-making and future assessment strategies.
Participants noted that 11,122 physicians currently hold a valid hematology certificate. Gender and training background distributions among hematology physicians have remained stable over the past five years. The Hematology Board discussed match performance data and assessment outcomes in the context of broader workforce trends.
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*Indicates that society representatives were present for discussion of this agenda topic.
