The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) announced the 2017 Item Writer and Case Author of the Year award winners among the organization’s esteemed National Faculty.
“Our diverse, dedicated National Faculty includes over 700 active, engaged leaders from across the nation with expertise in all osteopathic health professions and specialties, osteopathic medical education and evaluation, and osteopathic physician licensure and regulation,” NBOME President and CEO, John R. Gimpel, DO, MEd, FACOFP, FAAFP, reports. “These academic and clinical subject matter experts advance osteopathic medical assessment and support the NBOME mission to protect the public.”
The NBOME annually undertakes an objective evaluation of the item writers and case authors who contributed to the exams. An author from each exam series whose items or cases are a model for the type and format needed to produce a valid, high-quality examination that assesses competencies for osteopathic medicine and related health professions is honored with Item Writer or Case Author of the Year award. Janice A Knebl, DO, MBA, Chair of the COMLEX-USA Composite Examination Committee remarked, “Their contributions demonstrate the high standards of our examinations and reflect the commitment and excellence of the NBOME National Faculty.”
The winners are as follows:
COMLEX-USA Level 1 Item Writer of the Year
Rani Bright, MBBS
Rani Bright is an assistant professor in the department of bio-medical sciences at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is a 25-year veteran of the NBOME National Faculty. Dr. Bright, who was awarded Item Writer of the Year Award in 2007, received the award for the second time in 2017. Her vast experience and research in the area of microbiology has contributed greatly to item development for the COMLEX-USA Level 1 examination.
COMLEX-USA Level 2-CE Item Writer of the Year
Shannon C. Scott, DO
Dr. Scott is the medical director at Midwestern University Multispecialty Clinic, assistant dean and clinical associate professor in the department of family medicine at Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Glendale, Arizona. Dr. Scott is highly regarded as a clinician and educator and has contributed numerous high-quality items for the development of the COMLEX-USA Level 2-CE examination.
COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE Case Author of the Year
Kathryn Brandt, DO, MS, MedL
Dr. Brandt is chair of the primary care department at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Biddeford, Maine. Her interests in the integration of osteopathic manipulative medicine into everyday medical care and the development of multidisciplinary integrative care in the management of chronic disease have been an asset to her contributions as NBOME National Faculty member. Her expertise in developing quality cases for the COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE examination is highly valued.
COMLEX-USA Level 3 Item Writer of the Year
Jaime M. Rawson, DO
Dr. Rawson is a general neurologist at Gilbert Neurology and Mercy Gilbert Medical Center in Gilbert, Arizona. A previous NBOME Item Writer award winner in 2014, Dr. Rawson has presented and published extensively on various topics involving pain, disease and the nervous system. She has made significant contributions to the COMLEX-USA Level 3 examination.
2017 COMLEX-USA Clinical Decision-Making Case Writer of the Year
Peter F. Bidey, DO, MSEd
Dr. Bidey is assistant professor in the department of family medicine and program director of the family medicine residency program at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Suburban Community Hospital. He also serves as director of medical education at Suburban Community Hospital. Dr. Bidey brings expertise in areas of preventative medicine, obesity, student education in family medicine and osteopathic manipulative medicine to the NBOME National Faculty, contributing exceptional clinical decision-making cases for COMLEX-USA.
COMLEX-USA Clinical Decision-Making Case Writer of the Year
Matthew F. Geromi, DO
Dr. Geromi is a psychiatrist at PsyCare Inc. in San Diego, CA and a clinical assistant professor/online preceptor for Psychiatry at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He joined NBOME’s National Faculty in 2013 and has contributed extensively to clinical decision-making case development in the areas of prevention, diagnosis, and the treatment of psychiatric disorders.
COMLEX-USA Preventive Medicine/Health Promotion (PMHP) Item Writer of the Year
Deborah L. Blackwell, DO
Dr. Blackwell has held several prestigious medical, academic, executive and community leadership positions throughout her robust career in pediatric medicine. She is a pediatrician in the department of emergency medicine at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and an associate professor of pediatrics at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. As an expert on various childhood medical issues, Dr. Blackwell wrote numerous excellent items for COMLEX-USA examinations.
COMLEX-USA Osteopathic Principles and Practice Item Writer of the Year
Lauren Noto-Bell, DO
Dr. Noto-Bell is an associate professor in the department of osteopathic manipulative medicine at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) and program director at the PCOM neuro-musculoskeletal medicine residency program in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a distinguished educator in osteopathic medicine, Dr. Noto-Bell contributed extensively to the development of items for COMLEX-USA examinations.
COMAT Item Writer of the Year
Daniel L. Griffin, DO
Dr. Griffin is the chief resident in the department of internal medicine at Magnolia Regional Health Center in Corinth, Mississippi. A resident member of the NBOME National Faculty, Dr. Griffin has served in numerous student and young physician leadership roles. A prolific item writer for the COMAT examination program in 2017, Dr. Griffin was awarded the 2017 COMAT Item Writer of the Year for his remarkable item submissions.
COMAT Foundational Biomedical Sciences Item Writer of the Year
Jandy B. Hanna, PhD, MSB
Dr. Hanna is chair of the department of biomedical sciences and an associate professor of anatomy at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg, West Virginia. She has authored several published papers on locomotion and functional morphology, biomechanics, energetics of movement in a 3-D environment, enhancing her contributions to the NBOME National Faculty. Dr. Hanna wrote a remarkable number of quality items for the new COMAT Foundational Biomedical Sciences examinations.