American Board of Medical Specialties Names John C. Moorhead, MD, MS, FACEP the Recipient of the 2025 Distinguished Service Award

CHICAGO, Sept. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the leading not-for-profit organization overseeing the certification of physicians and medical specialists in the United States, presented its 2025 Distinguished Service Award to John C. Moorhead, MD, MS, FACEP.

Created in 1984, the Distinguished Service Award recognizes individuals for their extraordinary contributions to the medical specialty certification process. Dr. Moorhead, Chair of the ABMS Board of Directors (BOD) from 2016 to 2018, accepted the award at ABMS Conference 2025 in Pittsburgh.

A lifelong advocate of the value of board certification, Dr. Moorhead has dedicated himself to championing the importance of the credential throughout the ABMS community and beyond. He has worked tirelessly to establish and defend the importance of board certification as a means of recognizing the competence and professionalism of physicians and medical specialists.

"ABMS and its Member Boards greatly appreciate Dr. Moorhead's incredible commitment to enhancing the value and promoting the importance of board certification," stated ABMS President and Chief Executive Officer Richard E. Hawkins, MD. "His service to ABMS spans decades and it was under his leadership that the Continuing Board Certification: Vision for the Future Commission was created – greatly assisting ABMS and its 24 Member Boards in establishing a meaningful and relevant continuing certification program that brings value to a physician's practice and patients, as well as others who rely on our certificate as a trusted credential."

Besides serving as ABMS BOD Chair, Dr. Moorhead was an active and vital volunteer leader, serving in numerous capacities including as Chair of the Executive Committee, Governance Committee, and Awards Committee; and as a Member of the Stakeholder Council, Health Policy and Strategy Committee, Finance and Audit Committee, Committee on Continuing Certification, Health and Public Policy Committee, and BOD of the ABMS Research and Education Foundation.

Currently a Professor of Emergency Medicine in the Public Health and Preventive Medicine Department at Oregon Health & Science University, Dr. Moorhead has been equally committed to advancing medical education in his chosen specialty of Emergency Medicine. He has served as President of the American College of Emergency Physicians and the Oregon Medical Association. At the American Board of Emergency Medicine, he served as President, Secretary-Treasurer, a Board Director, oral examiner, and item writer, as well as participated on various committees and task forces.

In addition to the ABMS Distinguished Service Award, Dr. Moorhead is the recipient of the Excellence in Quality Management Award from Kaiser Permanente, the John G. Wiegenstein Leadership Award from the American College of Emergency Physicians, and the Presidential Citation from the Oregon Medical Association.

"I am most honored to be recognized by ABMS with its Distinguished Service Award," Dr. Moorhead said. "I truly believe in the important role that board certification holds in our health care system, and it has been my life's work and great passion to promote its value to both the profession and patients alike. It has also been a privilege to work and serve alongside such equally committed volunteer leaders within the ABMS community, who join me in striving to meet our mission to improve health care through high standards for physician board certification."

About ABMS
Established in 1933, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is responsible for the creation of standards overseeing physician certification in the United States. Dedicated to improving the quality of care to the patients, families and communities they serve, the 24 ABMS Member Boards develop educational and professional standards and programs of assessment to certify physicians and medical specialists. More than one million physicians and medical specialists are certified by one or more of the ABMS Member Boards in one or more of 38 specialties and 89 subspecialties. For more information about ABMS, visit abms.org or call (312) 436-2600.

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SOURCE American Board of Medical Specialties