Item-Writer Spotlight: Anthony Hunter, MD
ABIM is proud to spotlight members of the Item-Writing Task Forces, which are responsible for writing all of the content for assessments in each discipline of internal medicine. Learn more about the Item-Writing Task Forces and how ABIM creates assessment questions on the ABIM Blog. If you are interested in applying to serve as an Item-Writer, view current openings.
Anthony Hunter, MD | Hematology Item-Writing Task Force
Dr. Hunter is an associate professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine. He serves as medical director of the Immediate Care Center and leads the Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Program at Emory Winship Cancer Institute. He specializes in treating patients with leukemia and other myeloid malignancies, including myeloproliferative neoplasms, myelodysplastic syndromes, myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms and systemic mastocytosis.
He earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He completed his internal medicine residency at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, followed by a fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida, where he served as chief fellow in his final year.
Dr. Hunter’s research focuses on understanding the molecular drivers of myeloid malignancies to improve prognostication and develop novel treatment strategies. He participates in clinical trials evaluating new therapies for myeloproliferative neoplasms, myelodysplastic syndromes and myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms. He is also a co-investigator in a large international effort to develop a novel prognostic system for chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. He is co-first author of a publication entitled “A Molecular-based Ecosystem to Improve Personalized Medicine in Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia” that was recently accepted in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. This was a large, international collaborative effort with data from over 3,000 patients in this rare disease, developing a novel genomic classification and new risk stratification system superior to prior models.
Dr. Hunter has been on the Hematology Item-Writing Task Force for two years. When asked what his favorite part of being an Item-Writer is, he stated, “Having been on the other side of taking exams for so long, I enjoy getting to see the process of testing through this lens. Crafting good test questions within my area of expertise to help impart knowledge to the broader hematology community, and doing so in collaboration with a great item-writing team, is a pleasure.”
He was also asked if he had any advice for new writers. He stated, “It truly is a team effort. The peer review sessions are extremely valuable not only to improve your own items, but to learn more about the process of item writing and what makes a good exam question. These sessions are very collaborative and getting to learn from the more ‘seasoned’ Item-Writers is very helpful as you get started.”
When Dr. Hunter was asked what he does in his free time, he mentioned that free time has a very different meaning now than it used to. He and his wife have four children ranging from ages 1 to 10 that make life entertaining! They have several soccer players in the family, and he enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, fishing and spending time at the lake.
