Launched in 2014, the one-year, part-time program supports early-career physicians and researchers as they develop leadership skills centered on certification standards. Participants remain at their home institutions, collaborating with mentors while engaging in monthly virtual sessions to refine their projects. Greg Ogrinc, ABMS Senior Vice President, noted that the surge in applicants highlights the rising demand for rigorous research into physician assessment and the broader certification landscape.

The research projects slated for this cycle cover a diverse range of medical priorities, including the application of artificial intelligence in clinical reasoning, physician burnout, and competency-based training. Scholars will present their final findings to a national audience at the ABMS Conference 2027. The program is co-sponsored by the ABMS Research and Education Foundation alongside 14 individual Member Boards, spanning specialties from anesthesiology and dermatology to pathology and urology.