Philadelphia Physicians Present ACEs to Medical Licensing Board

              Psychiatrist Sandra Bloom, Co-chair of the Philadelphia ACE Task Force and Associate Professor of at the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel  University, and Pediatrician Roy Wade of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a Stoneleigh Foundation Fellow, gave a compelling presentation on adverse childhood experiences to a group of public stakeholders and staff at the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME).  Located in Philadelphia, the NBME develops and manages the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE). While the individual licensing boards grant the license to practice medicine, all medical boards in the US accept a passing score on the USMLE as evidence that an applicant demonstrates the core competencies to practice medicine.  Dr.Bloom's portion of the presentation focused on the original ACE study and its implications for public health and medical practice.  She compared knowledge about ACEs and it's power to transform medical practice to the knowledge about germ theory that led to hand washing as a routine and critical practice.  Dr. Wade presented information about the Philadelphia ACE survey and how he regularly uses knowledge of children's ACE scores to provide anticipatory guidance and/or collaborate with partners for intervention.  The Philadelphia ACE Task Force sought an opportunity to connect with the NBME as part of its effort to integrate ACE information into curricula of higher education training programs, recognizing that if we can insert ACE related questions and information into professional licensing exams we can influence curricular content.  Members of the ACE Task Force will return to the NBME in December to meet with staff who write the exams.  Generally it is a 3 to 4 year process to change questions on the exam.