James Roberson, MD, Chair and Robert P. Kelly Professor of Orthopaedics at Emory University School of Medicine, has been elected President of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) for a one-year term.

Roberson was elected to the Board in 2010 and has served the last year as President-Elect. He is also a past Chair of the ABOS’s Written Examination Committee. At Emory, he specializes in adult reconstructive surgery of the hip and knee. Roberson has been at Emory since 1982 and was named Chair of the Department of Orthopaedics in 2002.

The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Inc. was founded in 1934 as a private, voluntary, nonprofit, independent organization to serve the best interests of the public and the medical profession. These interests are achieved through the ABOS by establishing standards for the education of orthopaedic surgeons. These standards are evaluated by the ABOS through examinations and practice evaluations. More information can be found at abos.org.

The Board consists of 21 members, which include 12 Active Directors, six Senior Directors, two Directors-Elect, and one Public Member Director. All members serve one 10-year term while the Public Member Director serves a three-year term. Nominations come from the American Orthopaedic Association, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and the American Medical Association. Each organization nominates four physicians two out of every three years and the Board votes for one candidate from each slate. Officers are current Board members elected by other Board members.