Sleep Medicine Advisory Committee Meeting Summary | Spring 2026
The Sleep Medicine Advisory Committee held its spring meeting on May 5, 2026. Representatives from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and International Surgical Sleep Society (ISSS) joined for a portion of the meeting*.
The Sleep Medicine Advisory Committee and the cosponsoring boards gratefully acknowledge the service of Adam Sorscher, MD, and Laura Sterni, MD, whose terms on the Advisory Committee ended June 30, 2026. Dr. Sorscher joined the Advisory Committee as a representative of the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) in 2021, having served previously on the Sleep Medicine Test-Writing Committee (2010 – 2016) and the Sleep Medicine Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA®) Approval Committee (2020 – 2021). Dr. Sterni joined as a representative of the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) in 2021.
The following is a summary of the spring meeting. Visit the ABIM Blog for reports of prior meetings.
About the Advisory Committee Composition
The Advisory Committee comprises physician representatives of six American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Member Boards (referred to as the “cosponsoring boards”), as well as two public members: one with a patient or caregiver background in the field and one with healthcare team member experience. ABIM is the administrative board, as it administers the certification exam. The cosponsoring boards are American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA), ABFM, the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (ABOHNS), ABP and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN).
Administrative Board 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) 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®).
There was some further discussion about assessment security and AI use. Dr. McDonald shared that general feedback on the LKA has been overwhelmingly positive and that the vast majority of LKA users—more than 99%—are using it appropriately. He noted that 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.
Developing a Quality Agenda in Sleep Medicine*
As a next step in the development of a discipline-specific Quality Agenda, Advisory Committee members engaged in breakout discussions to further refine the aims, drivers and relevant society strategies agreed upon by the Advisory Committee and specialty society colleagues. The Quality Agenda is one of the standards for continuing certification issued by 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.)
Advisory Committee members discussed broadening the Quality Agenda beyond sleep apnea by adding insomnia as a diagnostic driver and recognizing insomnia disorder as a distinct clinical condition often overlapping with obstructive sleep apnea. Suggestions included making the first aim focus more broadly on screening and highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary care in insomnia treatment. The Advisory Committee discussed workforce shortages and access-to-care challenges in sleep medicine, highlighting the need for better data on workforce trends, increased exposure to sleep medicine during training and continued reliance on specialty expertise, despite advances in AI.
Review the full Sleep Medicine 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.
Advisory Committee members considered how to define quality improvement activities, and which types are eligible for recognition. They emphasized concise, systematic, inclusive and practical decisions for physicians across varied practice settings. Staff noted that Advisory Committee feedback and input from other governance bodies and society partners would inform ABIM’s future measurement strategy.
AASM Advancing Innovation in Residency Education (AIRE) Pilot Program*
AASM representatives provided an update on the AIRE pilot program, and the group discussed participation across specialties in the sleep medicine pilot program. Initial interest exceeded the number of programs AASM was approved for. Subsequently, AASM received approval from Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to expand the number of participants.
One member observed that awareness of sleep medicine fellowship opportunities remains limited within anesthesiology and noted that a part-time, two-year training option could help improve participation and accessibility. In spring 2025, the Advisory Committee approved the AASM AIRE pilot program as an additional standard pathway to ABIM Board Eligibility for part-time and blended fellowship trainees.
Discipline-Specific Topics and Society Update*
The Advisory Committee discussed evolving practice trends, workforce and training challenges, specialty certification pathways and competency-based approaches to physician assessment. Cristina Baldassari, MD, described ongoing changes in otolaryngology practice patterns, particularly the increased use of Inspire implant procedures by general otolaryngologists, which are becoming more widely adopted outside of highly specialized sleep surgery practices. Dr. Baldassari expressed concern regarding the national shortage of specialty-trained sleep surgeons and emphasized the need for broader awareness and education surrounding the full range of sleep surgery approaches available to patients.
Participants acknowledged that many trainees across disciplines may not fully understand the scope of opportunities available within sleep medicine. Society partners and Advisory Committee members discussed the importance of improving promotion of sleep medicine pathways across multiple specialties.
CBME-Based Special Consideration Pathway for IMGs Pilot*
Erica N. Johnson, MD, FACP, FIDSA, Senior Vice President for Academic and Medical Affairs, shared an update on the CBME pilot pathway for IMGs. She also explained the “exceptionally qualified” criterion, which refers to physicians with qualifications beyond standard internal medicine residency training requirements that reflect additional expertise, training or professional accomplishments.
Robert Stansbury, MD, Chair of the Sleep Medicine Advisory Committee, asked why nephrology and geriatrics had particularly high numbers of physicians entering through the pilot pathway compared to relatively low numbers in sleep medicine. Dr. Johnson noted that some physicians in that cohort were diplomates of other cosponsoring boards and some had become board eligible through other cosponsoring boards. As a result, the numbers were smaller than originally anticipated. She added that sleep medicine serves as an important example of a discipline with broad representation across multiple primary specialties.
Oversight of Training in Sleep Medicine*
Participants reviewed current workforce and training data, including training pathways, match data, board eligibility, special consideration pathways and relevant innovation programs. Dr. Stansbury asked whether applicants who do not match subsequently scramble for positions, and Dr. Johnson explained that the National Resident Matching Program does not provide the same type of post-match data as the residency process; for instance, AIRE applicants would not appear in the match data because they are outside of the match.
Oversight of Sleep Medicine Assessments*
A large part of the purview of the Advisory Committee 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.
Society guests departed at this point in the meeting.
Candidates for the Sleep Medicine Approval Committees
The Advisory Committee is responsible for selecting incoming members and chairs of the Approval Committees in advance of new terms that begin in July of each year and as seats become vacant for other reasons. Following a review of the candidate materials and a candidate interview, the Advisory Committee appointed Mariam Louis, MD, as the new Chair of the Sleep Medicine LKA Approval Committee. They also appointed Pablo Castillo, MD, and Maneesh Gaddam, MD, as new members of the Approval Committee.
Read about all new governance appointments as of July 1, 2026.
ABA Transition to a Qualifying Board
Staff presented information regarding the ABA’s transition from a cosponsoring board to a qualifying board at the end of the calendar year. Eligible diplomates of qualifying boards may apply to take the Sleep Medicine Certification Exam through ABIM and, if they pass, must participate in ABIM’s MOC program and meet its requirements to maintain the sleep medicine certificate. Anesthesiologists will still maintain their “underlying” certification (in this case, general anesthesiology) through ABA. Diplomates maintaining certificates for two or more Member Boards receive reciprocity for crediting activities.
ABIM and ABA will notify diplomates of the transition and will complete it by the end of the year.
Learn More
Subscribe to the ABIM Blog to stay on top of the latest news.
Get Involved
Are you ABIM Board Certified and interested in getting involved? Apply to openings on ABIM Governance and the Item-Writing Task Forces and be part of shaping the future of ABIM’s assessments. Physicians certified by the cosponsoring and qualifying boards may also apply for openings on the Approval Committees.
*Indicates society representatives were present for discussion of this agenda topic.
