American Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists (ABPNS)

The American Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists (ABPNS) was established by IPNEC to provide a credential that recognizes physician expertise in clinical nutrition. The ABPNS certificate is the premier comprehensive credential for physicians who wish to identify nutrition as an area of expertise. It is equally accessible to physicians with backgrounds in any of the specialties relevant to clinical nutrition, as described in the Definition of Physician Nutrition Specialist®.

To be eligible to take the ABPNS exam, a candidate must meet three requirements:

1. Current licensure to practice medicine in the US, or the equivalent in other countries. All candidates for certification and recertification must be licensed to practice medicine in the country in which they reside.
2. ABMS Board certification or the equivalent outside the US.
3. Demonstrated expertise in nutrition defined by one or more of the following: *
1. Mentored training in clinical nutrition (requires letter of recommendation from mentor).
2. Dedicated service on a hospital Multidisciplinary Nutrition Team (requires letter of recommendation from hospital chief of staff or physician head of department).
3. Performance of research with publications in nutrition (provide documentation on curriculum vitae).
4. Teaching position involving nutrition at an academic medical center (requires letter of recommendation from department chairman).
5. Committee membership and/or leadership role in a national nutrition society (provide documentation on curriculum vitae).
6. Completion of a minimum of 150 hours of Continuing Medical Education (CME) devoted to clinical nutrition (provide CME documentation).
7. Regional peer-recognized leadership role in nutrition (requires letter of recommendation from peer in community).

Final acceptance of eligibility is subject to satisfactory review by the ABPNS Board.

*Requirements for eligibility have been revised due to the fact that at the present time, positions for formal training in clinical nutrition are limited. Requirements will be re-evaluated on an annual basis, as increasing opportunities for training emerge in the future.

The ABPNS Certification Examination for Physician Nutrition Specialist® is given annually and encompasses the full breadth of clinical nutrition, as reflected in the Curriculum Guide for Physician Nutrition Specialists. It is valid for 10 years, after which re-certification is required in order to keep the credential current.

American Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists
8630 Fenton Street
Suite 412
Silver Spring, MD 20910