Additional Subspecialty Certificates are available to ABFM board-certified family physicians through other various ABMS specialty boards. 

Addiction Medicine 

The Addiction Medicine Subspecialty Certificate is offered by the American Board of Preventive Medicine. This certificate is designed to recognize your excellence in specializing in Addiction Medicine concerned with the prevention, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of persons with the disease of addiction, of those with substance-related health conditions, and of people who show unhealthy use of substances including nicotine, alcohol, prescription medications and other licit and illicit drugs. Specializing in this field also helps family members whose health and functioning are affected by a loved one’s substance use or addiction practice.

  • How Do I obtain and Maintain my Addiction Medicine Subspecialty Certificate?

If you are interested in obtaining your initial Addiction Medicine Subspecialty Certificate or maintaining a current certificate, you must continuously maintain your ABFM Family Medicine Board Certification and meet Addiction Medicine Subspecialty Certificate requirements, found on the American Board of Preventive Medicine website.

You may be eligible to take the Addiction Medicine Certification examination through a practice pathway until December 31, 2025.  Beginning January 1, 2026, you will be required to successfully complete a 12-month, ACGME-accredited,  Addiction Medicine fellowship training program.

Brain Injury Medicine

The Brain Injury Medicine Subspecialty Certificate is offered by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in conjunction with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. This certificate is designed to recognize your excellence in specializing in brain disorders of brain function due to injury. These disorders encompass a range of medical, physical, cognitive, sensory, and behavioral disorders that result in psychosocial, educational, and vocational consequences. As a specialist in Brain Injury Medicine, you may also have special expertise in the treatment and management of other central nervous system insults (e.g., encephalopathies, anoxia) with similar neurocognitive presentations.

  • How Do I obtain and Maintain my Brain Injury Medicine Subspecialty Certificate?

If you are interested in obtaining your initial Brain Injury Medicine Subspecialty Certificate or maintaining a current certificate, you must continuously maintain both your ABFM Family Medicine Board Certification and Sports Medicine Certificate of Added Qualifications.  In addition, you must also meet the Brain Injury Medicine Subspecialty Certificate requirements.

To review the Brain Injury Medicine Certification requirements, you may visit the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation website.

Clinical Informatics 

The Clinical Informatics Subspecialty Certificate is offered by the American Board of Preventive Medicine. This certificate is designed to recognize your excellence in utilizing Clinical Informatics and collaborating with other health care and information technology professionals to analyze, design, implement and evaluate information and communication systems that enhance individual and population health outcomes, improve patient care and strengthen the clinician-patient relationship. As a Clinical Informatician, you can use your knowledge of patient care combined with your understanding of informatics concepts, methods and tools to: assess information and knowledge needs of health care professionals and patients; characterize, evaluate and refine clinical processes; develop, implement procurement, customization, development, implementation, management, evaluation and continuous improvement of clinical information systems.

  • How Do I obtain and Maintain my Clinical Informatics  Subspecialty Certificate?

If you are interested in obtaining your initial Clinical Informatics Subspecialty Certificate or maintaining a current certificate, you must continuously maintain your ABFM Family Medicine Board Certification and meet Clinical Informatics Subspecialty Certificate requirements, which you can find on the American Board of Preventive Medicine website.

You may be eligible to take the Clinical Informatics certification examination through a practice pathway until December 31, 2025.  Beginning January 1, 2026, you will be required to successfully complete a 24-month, ACGME-accredited, Clinical Informatics fellowship training program.

Emergency Medical Services

The Emergency Medical Services Subspecialty Certificate is offered by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. This certificate is designed to recognize your excellence in the practice of prehospital emergency patient care, including initial patient stabilization, treatment, and transport to hospitals in specially equipped ambulances or helicopters. The purpose of your Emergency Medical Services subspecialty certification is to standardize physician training and qualifications for Emergency Medical Services practice, improve patient safety and enhance the quality of emergency medical care provided to patients in the prehospital environment, and facilitate further integration of prehospital patient treatment into the continuum of patient care. 

  • How Do I obtain and Maintain my Emergency Medical services  Subspecialty Certificate?

If you are interested in obtaining your initial Emergency Medical Services Subspecialty Certificate or maintaining a current certificate, you must continuously maintain your ABFM Family Medicine Board Certification and meet Emergency Medical Services Subspecialty Certificate requirements. To review the Emergency Medical Services certification requirements, you may visit the American Board of Emergency Medicine website.