The ACR’s Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Certification in Rheumatology RhMSUS™ program could not and cannot exist without the time, effort, talent, and experience of its volunteer leadership and committee members. RhMSUS™ welcomes self-nominations or nominations from colleagues for a position on the Oversight Committee, Appeals Subcommittee, and as needed the Examination Development Working Groups. Most elected terms are four years with the opportunity to be re-appointed for one additional term.
Volunteer Application
If you are interested in volunteering for RhMSUS™, please complete the RhMSUS™ Volunteer Application. We accept applications on a continual basis and have a call for volunteers each spring / summer. Additional opportunities are available from time to time, so forms are kept on file for any ad-hoc committees that may be appointed.
Apply to Volunteer
RhMSUS™ Committees
Below are descriptions of the RhMSUS™ committees along with their current volunteers.
Oversight Committee
Volunteers
- Veena K. Ranganath, MD, MS, RhMSUS™ (2016 - 2020) UCLA, Los Angeles, CA - Chair
- Amanda E. Nelson, MD, MSCR, RhMSUS™ (2016 - 2020) UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC - Chair, Examination Development Groups
- Laura B. Hughes, MD, MSPH, RhMSUS™ (2016 - 2019) University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL - Member-At-Large
- Michael L. Taffe (2018-2021) Retired, Kittery, ME - Public Member
- Suncica Volkov, MD, RhMSUS™ (2018 - 2021) University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago, Chicago, IL- Member-At-Large
Roles
- Develop, implement, and monitor fair and defensible eligibility requirements and certification and recertification policies and procedures
- Review and approve all examination items
- Review domains and tasks annually to ensure relevance/currency
- Review testing data and make recommendations for research studies
- Coordinate and appoint group and subcommittee members
Desired Expertise
- Five+ years as an educator or direct supervisor
Time Commitments
- Webinars, conference calls, and emails as needed
- 30 – 50 hours spent on outside work
- The committee does a fair amount of time-sensitive work via email, requiring that members be extremely responsive and able to work under short timeframes.
Appeals Subcommittee
Roles
- Review candidates' appeals when candidates are not satisfied with the original decision of the certification
- Make recommendations related to certification policies and procedures to oversight committee as needed
Desired Expertise
- Comprehensive understanding of the ACR's certification policies and procedures
Time Commitments
- Webinars, conference calls, and emails as needed
- Members are "on call" for issues that arise requiring that members be extremely responsive and able to work under short timeframes
Examination Development: Item Development Group
Volunteers
- Amanda E. Nelson, MD, MSCR, RhMSUS™ (2016 - 2020) UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC - Chair, Examination Development Groups
- Arnoldas Ceponis, MD, PhD, RhMSUS™ (2017 - 2018) University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA
- Deirdre De Ranieri, MD, RhMSUS™ (2017 - 2018) University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Vikram Garg, MS, MD, RhMSUS™ (2018) Scripps, Encinitas, CA
- Tal Gazitt, MD, MSc, RhMSUS™ (2018) University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Luc Nguyen, MD, RhMSUS™ (2018) University of Texas, San Antonio, TX
- Shiv Tej Sehra, MD, RhMSUS™ (2018) Mount Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, MA
- Siddharth Tambar, MD, RhMSUS™ (2018) Presence Saint Joseph Hospital, Chicago, IL
Roles
- Write, review, and validate multiple-choice test items
Desired Expertise
- Must have good understanding of the knowledge and skills required of the minimally competent professional and five+ years as an educator or direct supervisor
- Skill in question writing is preferred
Time Commitments
- Submission to item writing bank
- Webinars, conference calls, and emails as needed
Examination Development: Review and Assembly Group
Volunteers
- Amanda E. Nelson, MD, MSCR, RhMSUS™ (2016 - 2020) UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC - Chair, Examination Development Groups
- Arnoldas Ceponis, MD, PhD, RhMSUS™ (2017 - 2018) University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA
- Abhijeet Danve, MBBS, MD, RhMSUS™ (2018) Yale University, New Haven, CT
- Deirdre De Ranieri, MD, RhMSUS™ (2017 - 2018) University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Vikram Garg, MS, MD, RhMSUS™ (2018) Scripps, Encinitas, CA
- Tal Gazitt, MD, MSc, RhMSUS™ (2018) University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Luc Nguyen, MD, RhMSUS™ (2018) University of Texas, San Antonio, TX
- Shiv Tej Sehra, MD, RhMSUS™ (2018) Mount Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, MA
- Siddharth Tambar, MD, RhMSUS™ (2018) Presence Saint Joseph Hospital , Chicago, IL
Roles
- Assemble examination forms according to the examination blueprint, following psychometric and editorial review of the multiple-choice test items
Desired Expertise
- Must have good understanding of the knowledge and skills required of the minimally competent professional and five+ years as an educator or direct supervisor
- Skill in question writing is preferred
Time Commitments
- Webinars, conference calls, and emails as needed
Examination Development: Criterion Group
Volunteers
- Amanda E. Nelson, MD, MSCR, RhMSUS™ (2016 - 2020) UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC - Chair, Examination Development Groups
- Arnoldas Ceponis, MD, PhD, RhMSUS™ (2017 - 2018) University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA
- Abhijeet Danve, MBBS, MD, RhMSUS™ (2018) Yale University, New Haven, CT
- Deirdre De Ranieri, MD, RhMSUS™ (2017 - 2018) University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Vikram Garg, MS, MD, RhMSUS™ (2018) Scripps, Encinitas, CA
- Luc Nguyen, MD, RhMSUS™ (2018) University of Texas, San Antonio, TX
- Shiv Tej Sehra, MD, RhMSUS™ (2018) Mount Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, MA
Roles
- Evaluate each test item according to its relevance and difficulty for the minimally-competent professional
Desired Expertise
- Must have good understanding of the knowledge and skills required of the minimally competent professional and five+ years as an educator or direct supervisor
Time Commitments
- One one-day meeting in Atlanta
- Webinars, conference calls, and emails as needed