ADDICTION MEDICINE: These physicians work with patients who have substance abuse disorders. They specialize in prevention, diagnosis, treatment of withdrawl, medical or psychiatric complications, and relapse and monitoring of recovery.

ADDICTION PSYCHIATRY: In addition to general psychiatric training, these physicians have specialized in the management of patients with alcohol, drug, and other substance abuse disorders. The field requires knowledge of pharmacology, psychiatry, general medicine, and psychology as addictive disorders often occur in conjunction with other medical or psychiatric problems.

AEROSPACE MEDICINE: A specialty of medicine within Preventative Medicine that focuses on the health of a population group defined by the operating crews and passengers of air and space vehicles together with the support personnel required to operate them. Segments of this population often work and live in remote, isolated, and sometimes closed environments under conditions of physical and psychological stress rarely encountered in terrestrial life.

ALLERGY: Specializes in diagnosing and treating reactions due to irritating agents of allergens. Allergic reactions can result from unusual sensitivities to medicines, foods, pollens, or other substances.

ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY: A certified internist or pediatrician expert in the evaluation, physical and laboratory diagnosis, and management of disorders potentially involving the immune system. Selected examples of such conditions include asthma, anaphylaxis, rhinitis, eczema, urticaria, and adverse reactions to drugs, food, and insect stings as well as immune deficiency diseases (both acquired and congenital), defects, in host defense, and problems related to autoimmune disease, organ transplantation or malignancies of the immune system.

ANESTHESIOLOGY: Specializes in the pharmacological, physiological, and clinical basis of anesthesia (a state characterized by loss of sensation) and related fields, including resuscitation, intensive respiratory care and pain. This branch of medicine deals with the administration of anesthetics – drugs that induce unconsciousness or reduce sensation of pain – to allow for surgery or other medical procedures.

ANESTHESIOLOGY, PAIN MANAGEMENT: This physician is an anesthesiologist who has received additional training in pain management. These physician anesthesiologists provide care either as a primary physician or consultant for patients experiencing problems with acute or chronic pain in both hospital and ambulatory settings and coordinate a multidisciplinary approach toward pain management.

CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE, PEDIATRICS: A pediatrician with special competence in advanced life support for children from the term or near term neonate to the adolescent. This competence extends to the critical care management of life-threatening organ system failure from any cause in both medical and surgical patients and to the support of vital physiological functions.

CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE, SURGERY: A surgeon with special qualifications in the management of the critically ill and postoperative patient, particularly the trauma victim, in the emergency department, intensive care unit, trauma unit, burn unit, and other similar settings.

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES: Specializes in the diseases of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels and manages complex cardiac conditions such as heart attacks and life-threatening abnormal heart beat rhythms. These physicians often perform complicated diagnostic procedures such as cardiac catheterization and consult with surgeons on heart surgery.

CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY: Specializes in surgery of the heart.

CHILD NEUROLOGY: Focuses on the special skills required in the diagnosis and management of neurological disorders of the newborn infant, early childhood and adolescence.

CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY: A psychiatrist whose has devoted two additional years of training to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, addictive, and emotional disorders of childhood and adolescence.

DERMATOLOGY: Specializes in the function, diagnosis and treatment of the skin disorders. Dermatologists treat conditions such as acne and skin cancer.

DERMAPATHOLOGY: A dermatopathologist is an expert in diagnosing and monitoring disease of the skin including infectious immunologic , degenerative, and neoplastic diseases. This entails the examination and interpretation of specially prepared tissue sections, cellular scrapings and smears of skin lesions by means of light microscopy, electron microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy.

DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY: The branch of medicine concerned with using radiation such as X-rays and radioactive substances, and techniques such as ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of disease. Radiologists perform and interpret medical imaging exams and treat certain disease processes.

ENDOCRINOLOGY, DIABETES, AND METABOLISM: Specializes in the internal or hormonal secretions of the body and their physiologic and pathologic relations. Specializes in the science of the endocrine glands and their functions. Endocrinologists treat problems of the pituitary and thyroid glands, among others, and diseases such as diabetes.

FAMILY PRACTICE: Broad based specialty that encompasses all ages, both sexes, each organ system and every disease. These specialists provide continuing and comprehensive health care, health maintenance, and preventative services to individuals and families. They also serve as patients’ advocates in health related matters.

GASTROENTEROLOGY: Specializes in the function and diagnosis of disorders of the stomach and intestines, and related structures, such as the esophagus, liver, gall bladder, and pancreas.

GENERAL PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE: Focuses on the health of individuals and defined populations in order to protect, promote and maintain health and well-being, and to prevent disease, disability, and premature death. In addition to the knowledge of basic and clinical sciences and the skills common to all physicians, the distinctive components of Preventative Medicine include: biostatistics, epidemiology, health services administration, environmental and occupational influences on health, social and behavioral influences on health, and measures which prevent the occurrence, progression and disabling effects of disease or injury.

GENERAL SURGERY: Specializes in the general treatment of disease, injury, and deformity by operation or surgical procedure.

GYNECOLOGY: Specializes in the function and diagnosis of diseases of the female genital tract, as well as endocrinology and reproductive physiology of the female.

HEAD AND NECK SURGERY: Specializes in the surgical treatment of diseases and injuries of the head and neck.

HEMATOLOGY, INTERNAL MEDICINE: Hematologists subspecialize in diseases of the blood, spleen, and lymph glands. They treat conditions such as anemia, clotting disorders, sick cell disease, hemophilia, leukemia, and lymphoma. They perform special types of transfusions and biopsy and bone marrow for analysis.

HEMATOLOGY, PATHOLOGY: The hematologist/pathologist is an expert in diseases that affect blood cells, blood clotting mechanisms, bone marrow, and lymph nodes. This specialist has the knowledge and technical skills essential for the laboratory diagnosis of anemias, leukemias, lymphomas, bleeding disorders, and blood clotting disorders.

HEPATOLOGY: Specializes in the structure, function, and diseases of the liver and biliary tract. The American Board of Internal Medicine considers Hepatology part of the subspecialty of gastroenterology.

IMMUNOLOGY: Focuses on the body’s ability to combat infectious or irritating substances that threaten it with disease and how the body’s immune system operates. An Immunologist is concerned with all of the biological, serological, physical and chemical aspects of immune phenomena.

INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Specializes in sicknesses or diseases which are transmitted by infection, with or without actual contact. Physicians in this specialty diagnose and treat communicable diseases, such as AIDS and malaria.

INTERNAL MEDICINE: Provides primary care for adults. Specializes in monitoring and preserving the health and wellness of the mature adult, as well as treatment of acute and chronic illness in adults, including geriatric patients.

INTERNAL MEDICINE, GERIATRIC: The internist certified in geriatric medicine has special knowledge of the aging process and special skills in the diagnostic, therapeutic, preventative, and rehabilitative aspects of illness in the elderly. Geriatricians are trained to recognize the unusual presentations of illness and drug interactions, to utilize resources such as community social services, and to assist with special ethical issues in the care of the elderly. Examples of common geriatric conditions include incontinence, falls, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

NEUROLOGY: Specializes in the function and diagnosis and treatment of the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves.

NEUROLOGICAL SURGERY/ SPINE SURGERY: Specializes in the surgery of the nerves.

NEPHROLOGY: Specializes in the function and diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the kidneys.

OBSTETRICS: Specializes in the care of women during pregnancy and childbirth.

OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE: Based on preventative medicine, the broad purpose of occupational medicine is the promotion and maintenance of the physical and mental health of persons at work.

ONCOLOGY: Specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of neoplasms (new growths, tumors, which may be either benign or malignant (cancerous)).

OPHTHALMOLOGY: Specializes in the diseases and refractive errors of the eye.

Opthalmologists provide routine eye care, screen patients for eye diseases such as glaucoma, and perform surgey for certain conditions, including cataracts.

ORTHOPEDICS: Specializes in the preservation, restoration and development of the form and function of the muskoskeletal (muscles and bone) system.

OTOLARYNGOLOGY: Specializes in the diseases of the ear and larynx, often including upper respiratory tract and many diseases of the head and neck, tracheobronchial tree, and esophagus. Sometimes called Ear, Nose, and Throat specialists, Otolaryngologists treated related problems and allergic conditions. Otolaryngologists also perform surgery, including facial surgery and removing tonsils and adenoids.

PATHOLOGY: Specializes in all aspects of disease, but with special reference to the essential nature, causes, and development of abnormal conditions, as well as the structural and functional changes that result from the disease processes.

PEDIATRICS: Specializes in the study and treatment of children in health and disease during development from birth through adolescence.

PHARMACOLOGY, CLINICAL: A specialist in the composition, properties, and actions of drugs who has undergone training in basic pharmacology, clinical pharmacology and one of several specialties of medical practice.

PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION: Also called physiatry, physical medicine is a medical specialty that uses therapy, medications, education, nonsurgical treatments and surgical referral to help injured or disabled people become more self-sufficient and have a better quality of life. Physiatry includes many forms of rehabilitation.

PLASTIC SURGERY, HAND: Specializes in the restoration, construction, reconstruction or improvement in the shape and appearance of hands that are defective, missing, damaged, or misshapen.

PLASTIC SURGERY: Specializes in the restoration, construction, reconstruction or improvement in the shape and appearance of body structures that are missing, defective, damaged, or misshapen.

PSYCHIATRY: Specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses. Psychiatrists treat such mental illnesses as depression and schizophrenia.

PSYCHIATRY, FORENSIC: The application of Psychiatry in courts of law, e.g. in determinations for commitment, fitness to stand trial, responsibility for crime

PULMONOLOGY: Specializes in the function and diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the lungs.

RADIOLOGY: Specializes in the diagnosis and/or therapeutic use of x-rays and other forms of radiant energy.

RHEUMATOLOGY: Specializes in the study, diagnosis, and treatment of rheumatic conditions. Rheumatic conditions are pain or other symptoms which are of articular origin or related to other elements of the musculoskeletal system.

THORACIC SURGERY: Encompasses the operative, perioperative care, and critical care of patients with pathologic conditions within the chest. Included is the surgical care of coronary artery disease, cancers of the lung, esophagus and chest wall, abnormalities of the great vessels and heart valves, congenital anomalies, tumors of the medastinum, and diseases of the diaphram. The management of the airway and injuries of the chest is within the scope of the specialty.

UROLOGY: Specializes in the function and diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the urinary tract.