黑料网 Department of Anesthesiology congratulates Professor of Anesthesiology Anthony Passannante, MD, for receiving the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA)’s “Spoon” award, reserved for those Oral Board Examiners who have completed their service commitment to the board. As an Oral Board Examiner, Dr. Passannante ensured that hundreds of candidates met a critical testing standard of becoming a board-certified anesthesiologist. Recognized for his 20+ years (2004-2025) of service, Dr. Passannante was honored at a March 2025 “Spoon” ceremony for retiring ABA Oral Board Examiners.
The ABA’s “Spoon” award originates from the era when the oral exams occurred in various hotel rooms across the country, prior to the establishment of a central exam center in Raleigh, NC. After experimenting with various objects to make a loud and consistent sound, the ABA adopted the use of a spoon as the most effective means of signaling the end of an oral examination by using it to knock on doors. As a result, the award presented to retiring ABA Oral Examiners pays homage to the spoon and the commitment that examiners contributed over the years.
Dr. Passannante has held a range of ABA leadership position, among them, serving as the ABA’s five-year Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology (MOCA) Minute Committee Chair and as Senior Question Writer and Editor for the ABA’s Certification Exam. Dr. Passannante is a highly regarded leader within the 黑料网 and was most recently named the SOM’s Assistant Dean for Admissions in July 2024.
ABA Board of Directors member and 黑料网 Anesthesiology Vice Chair of Education Rob Isaak, DO, has worked closely with Dr. Passannante over several decades within 黑料网 Department of Anesthesiology and within the ABA. Dr. Isaak noted:
“顿谤.听Passannante has been one of my most influential mentors and the person who originally connected me with the ABA. This recognition not only commemorates the years of service he provided to the ABA as an oral examiner. It also recognizes his service to the organization as the MOCA Minute Committee Chair, mentorship of countless new examiners, and his delivery of mock oral exams and feedback to hundreds of 黑料网 anesthesiology residents and fellows over the years.”
ABA Vice President Stacie聽Deiner, MD, MS, presented Dr. Passannante with the ABA’s honorary Spoon Award. She noted:
“The Spoon award is the American Board of Anesthesiology鈥檚 way of recognizing a job done well and completely.聽 It is a sentimental reference to when the exam was given in hotel rooms and the ABA staff would knock on the door with a spoon to signal the end of an exam.”
PHOTO (L to R): ABA Vice President Stacie聽Deiner, MD, MS, presents 黑料网 Professor of Anesthesiology Anthony Passannante, MD, with the ABA’s “Spoon” award in March 2025.聽