The National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) has named Rubens Pamies, M.D., vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, a representative on the NBME’s Test Committee.
Dr. Pamies, who also serves as dean for graduate studies at UNMC, has been involved in activities at the NBME since 1999. He currently serves on the Interdisciplinary Review Committee for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). The USMLE is a three-step exam which provides a common evaluation system for applicants seeking initial licensure to practice medicine in the United States.
In 2003, Dr. Pamies joined UNMC. He is nationally known for his significant work on the issue of health disparities. He joined former United States Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher to co-author what is considered the first medical textbook on the subject. “Multi-cultural Medicine and Health Disparities” was published in 2005.
Dr. Pamies, a native of New York, received his undergraduate degree from St. John’s University New York. He received his medical degree from State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Medicine.
The NBME examinations and services also are widely used by the medical education system. In addition, the NBME provides testing, educational, consultative and research services to a number of medical specialty boards, societies and health care organizations in the United States and internationally.
The NBME membership is composed of approximately 80 individuals representing the academic community, national and professional organizations, state licensing boards, students, residents, the federal government and the public.
USMLE is a joint program of the NBME and the Federation of State Medical Boards. Results of the USMLE are reported to individual licensing authorities in the United States and its territories for use in granting the initial license to practice medicine.
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $80 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,400 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.
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