ABOUT US 

The American Board of Lower Extremity Surgery (ABLES) is a not-for-profit, multidiscipline, autonomous certification board incorporated in Michigan.  Although incorporated in 2006, ABLES has a great deal of experience in the certification of lower extremity physicians and surgeons.

Upon its incorporation, ABLES acquired the American Council of Certified Podiatric Physicians and Surgeons (ACCPPS), a certification board recognized for its innovations in certification processes. ABLES proudly continues those innovative policies, some of which have been imitated by other certification boards, and others which are uniquely ours. These include examination before case study submission, case diversity without specificity, no minimum time-in-practice requirement, endorsement of some other certification examinations administered by other boards and, in some circumstances, certification based on case studies only.

All the knowledge and experience gained by the ACCPPS during its twenty year history are still being applied, by the same people, here at ABLES. ABLES is not merely a new identity for a previously established, successful board. ABLES has expanded its scope of certification beyond those it acquired, adding certification in reconstructive rearfoot and ankle surgery to its programs, and is launching an effort to broaden our interdisciplinary representation.

Certification is a rigorous, intellectually probing evaluation of one’s knowledge, skills, experience, and clinical judgment. At ABLES, certification is not conditioned on organizational affiliations, or hampered by policy changes for those who have begun the certification process. Our goal is to provide, for every applicant who merits it, board certification in lower extremity medicine and surgery based on his knowledge, skills, experience, and clinical judgment. Our certification processes are reasonable, sensible and substantive without being overly burdensome. We have simplified the process of certification, while preserving the standards for physician attributes required for meritorious certification.

We invite you to explore our web site to learn more about ABLES’ standards, certification processes, and member support.