FSMB, a nonprofit that represents all U.S. state medical boards, on July 29 issued a statement that physicians and other healthcare professionals who create or spread vaccine misinformation or disinformation risk disciplinary action by state medical boards, including suspension or revocation of their medical license.
“We at the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM), the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), and the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) support FSMB’s position,” the organizations wrote Sept. 9. “We also want all physicians certified by our Boards to know that such unethical or unprofessional conduct may prompt their respective Board to take action that could put their certification at risk.”
The three medical panels said they are “particularly concerned about physicians who use their authority to denigrate vaccination at a time when vaccines continue to demonstrate excellent effectiveness against severe illness, hospitalization and death.”
The following leaders signed the Sept. 9 statement:
- Warren Newton, MD, president and CEO of the American Board of Family Medicine
- Richard Baron, MD, president and CEO of the American Board of Internal Medicine
- David G. Nichols, MD, president and CEO of the American Board of Pediatrics
