The American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABHRS) is the US certification board for hair transplantation, the only international institution providing medical and legal regulation in this area of medicine. It was established in 1995 with the purpose of specially certifying/accrediting physicians conducting hair transplants. As the number of doctors conducting hair transplants has increased, so the need has arisen for certain regulations to be put in place concerning how this surgical procedure should be conducted. That is the role of this board, which since the year 2000 has been international in scope, establishing regulation all over the world.
In order for a surgeon to receive certification from the American Board, they need to have a number of years’ experience in hair transplantation, which they will back up by applying to sit the exam. A doctor wishing to become a new member of the ABHRS must receive a recommendation in writing from two existing members of the Board. The application process then requires that the doctor submit a list of 150 different transplantation procedures conducted over the last three years, which the Board will review in order to determine that they have been carried out to the highest medical, surgical and ethical standards. After the experience and knowledge of the surgeon have been examined in this way, approval is given for him or her to sit the exam. The exam is held once a year and comprises two parts – a written and an oral part. The written portion examines the candidate’s theoretical knowledge, while the oral part is taken before three different committees each comprising three members. At the oral examination, the surgeon’s practical knowledge and individual approach to the patient are verified, as well as the necessary medical knowledge relating to all transplantation procedures. The examination lasts a total of 8 hours.
Dr Gorana Kuka Epstein has been a member of the ABHRS since October 2017, having passed this demanding examination. The accreditation she has thus gained affirms the quality of our clinic and the additional attention given to patient safety. As graduates of the ABHRS our obligations are as follows:
- Promote hair transplantation in an ethical manner in order to ensure the general public is informed to the greatest extent possible
- Cooperate with other doctors with the purpose of improving patient care
- Maintain patient privacy and confidentiality of medical documentation
- Accept no compensation which might compromise care for my patient
- Provide care to the patient impartially, regardless of race, gender, nationality or handicap
- Use legal and ethical means in providing care to my patients, and undertake to expose those physicians lacking in morals or competency or engaging in various forms of deception
- Maintain the highest standards of personal integrity
- Maintain the highest ethical standards in promotional and marketing activities, including the regulation that the physician declare him/herself as an ABHRS Diplomate and use no other designation
- Maintain loyalty to the regulations laid down by the ABHRS
- Promote the highest level of medical ethics in providing competent medical services with empathy and respect for human dignity.
- Strive for excellence in all aspects of medical practice
- Continue to learn and improve, apply the latest methods, make relevant information available to patients and colleagues and seek the help of other physicians if this is in the interests of my patient.
The American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery is an international body which standardises this surgical procedure and lays down certain medical and ethical rules which physicians carrying out the procedure must adhere to. This is the first time a physician from Serbia has been a diplomate of the ABHRS.
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