Examination Dates: August 2009 (exact dates TBD)	Application Deadline: November 28, 2008
	Examination Location: Thomson Prometric

General Information

The 2009 Bulletin of Information, herein referred to as the Bulletin, provides all the necessary information to individuals interested in participating in the primary certification examination program of the American Board of Medical Genetics (ABMG), Inc. The policies, fees, and procedures described in this Bulletin apply to all aspects of the ABMG examination program for 2009. Since the rules and procedures of the Board evolve over time, candidates must comply with those that are currently in effect. For this reason, it is important for candidates to refer to the most recently updated information, which can be found on the ABMG website at www.abmg.org.
 

Application: The 2009 examination application materials are available on the ABMG website. Please note that applications and logbooks can only be submitted online.

Contacting ABMG:

1. Questions concerning the examination program beyond the information included in this Bulletin should be directed to the ABMG Administrative Office via e-mail at: abmg@abmg.org or by telephone at (301) 634-7315. Be sure to read through this Bulletin prior to contacting ABMG.
    

2. Do not e-mail or fax examination application materials to ABMG unless the Administrative Office has specifically requested that you do so. Instead, use a guaranteed delivery service to ensure that examination application materials are received in the Administrative Office by the deadline.
    

3. Do not contact the Administrative Office for verification of receipt of documents since the Board receives an extensive number of documents around the examination application deadline. If you want to ensure that your documents were received, send your materials via a guaranteed delivery service, as noted above. You should receive an e-mail confirmation from the Administrative Office within two weeks of receipt of your examination documents. You may contact the Office if two weeks have passed and you have not received a confirmatory e-mail that your documents were received.
    

4. Applicants must notify ABMG of any changes to their name, address, telephone number, fax number, or e-mail address. Updated contact information can be submitted via e-mail, fax or mail to the ABMG Administrative Office. For name changes, a copy of official documentation is required, e.g., marriage license or divorce decree; this documentation can either be sent in hard copy or faxed or scanned and e-mailed to the Office.
    

5. The Administrative Office’s hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time, except for Federal holidays.

ABMG Certification

Sponsorship and Purpose: ABMG was incorporated in 1980 under sponsorship of the American Society of Human Genetics, Inc. and has been recognized as a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) since 1991. The function of ABMG is to certify individuals who provide services in medical genetics. ABMG determines the doctoral degree requirements, graduate medical training requirements, medical genetics training requirements, credentialing requirements, and examination requirements for ABMG certification. ABMG is also responsible for the preparation, administration, and grading of the certifying examinations.
 

ABMG offers certification in four primary specialties, Clinical Genetics, Clinical Cytogenetics, Clinical Biochemical Genetics, and Clinical Molecular Genetics, and two subspecialties, Molecular Genetic Pathology, which is offered jointly with the American Board of Pathology, and Medical Biochemical Genetics, which is oriented toward diagnosis and treatment of biochemical disorders. For information on certification in the subspecialty of Molecular Genetic Pathology, please contact the American Board of Pathology at (813) 286-2444 or access its website at www.abpath.org.
 

ABMG accredits Medical Genetics training fellowship programs in the specialties of Clinical Biochemical Genetics, Clinical Cytogenetics, and Clinical Molecular Genetics, whereas the Residency Review Committee (RRC) for Medical Genetics of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredits Medical Genetics residency programs in the specialty of Clinical Genetics and the subspecialties of Molecular Genetic Pathology and Medical Biochemical Genetics.
 

Freeze on PhD Medical Genetics Training Programs: As a result of the decreasing number of trainees enrolling in PhD Medical Genetics training programs, the ABMG Board of Directors re-evaluated the current professional merit of certification in this specialty, as well as possible changes to the training program requirements in order to meet the future needs of this specialty. The Board ultimately decided to freeze admission to PhD Medical Genetics training programs after July 1, 2005. There will not be a PhD Medical Genetics certification examination offered in 2009 or later.