To check whether a dermatologist is board certified, use the certifying board's own public lookup. Start with the American Board of Dermatology's "Is My Dermatologist Board Certified?" search on abderm.org. If the doctor isn't listed there, search ABMS Certification Matters, and for an osteopathic physician, use the verification route on the American Osteopathic Association's certification website. A practice website, an ad or a review can say "board certified," but the board's own record is the direct check.
It takes a few minutes. Here is each step, how to read the result, and what to do if a search comes up empty.
The short answer: go to the board, not the ad
Board certification is granted by a specialty board. It is not issued by the state, and a practice can't grant it to itself. That makes the board the one source that can confirm a certificate exists and whether it is current.
Before you search, have these ready:
- The doctor's full name, spelled the way it appears on the practice website or your appointment confirmation
- The city and state where they practice
- Their NPI number, if you have it. NPI stands for National Provider Identifier, and anyone can look one up in the federal NPI Registry.
Step 1: the American Board of Dermatology's public search
The American Board of Dermatology (ABD) offers a free public search on its website, on a page titled "Is My Dermatologist Board Certified?"
- Go to abderm.org and open that page.
- Type the doctor's last name, which is the only required field.
- Add a first name to narrow the list, or enter the NPI number for a more exact match.
- Pick the right person from the results, which show each name with a city and state.
- Open the record to see the certification details.
One note: the ABD says these public listings are not intended for official verification purposes. Treat the search as a quick check for your own peace of mind rather than a formal credential report.
Step 2: ABMS Certification Matters
The ABD is one of the 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). ABMS runs a public website called Certification Matters (certificationmatters.org) for checking certification across all of its member boards. The ABD itself points people there when a doctor doesn't appear in its search, because that doctor may be certified by a different board.
To use it, enter the doctor's last name, then add details such as first name and state to narrow the results. The result shows which board certified the doctor, in which specialty, and the certification status.
Read the specialty line, not just the word "certified." A physician can hold a valid certificate in internal medicine, family medicine or plastic surgery, for example. That is genuine board certification, but it is not board certification in dermatology.
Step 3: osteopathic dermatologists have a separate route
Osteopathic physicians can be board certified in dermatology through the American Osteopathic Board of Dermatology, one of the specialty boards that operate under the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) lists it among the three boards it recognizes for dermatologists.
An AOA certificate won't show up in the ABD's search, and it may not appear on Certification Matters, which covers ABMS member boards. To check it, go to the AOA's board certification website and open its page for patients. Under a heading about verifying licensure and board certification, that page links to DocInfo, a lookup powered by the Federation of State Medical Boards.
Some osteopathic physicians are certified by the ABD instead. If you don't know which route a doctor took, check both.
Reading the result
The ABD record lists a few details worth understanding:
- Certification. Dermatology, plus any subspecialty the doctor is certified in.
- Certificate granted. The year the certificate was first issued.
- Certificate status. "Active" means the certificate is current. Other statuses the ABD can show include retired, lapsed and revoked.
- Participating in Continuing Certification? Yes, No or Not Required.
That last line confuses people, so here is what the ABD explains. Before 1991, dermatologists who passed its exam received lifetime certificates with no expiration date. Since then, certificates have been time-limited, and renewing one depends on meeting the requirements of the ABD's Continuing Certification Program. A dermatologist who was certified before 1991 may show "Not Required," which does not mean anything is wrong. The ABD notes that some lifetime certificate holders take part voluntarily anyway.
Certification Matters reports status in a similar way: whether the doctor is certified, and whether they are taking part in their board's ongoing certification requirements. The exact wording can differ from board to board. If a label isn't clear, check that board's own lookup or contact the board.
If the status is anything other than current, it is fair to ask the practice about it before you book.
No result? Three things to try
An empty search doesn't always mean a doctor isn't certified. Work through these before drawing conclusions:
Try name variations. Search the last name alone. Then try a maiden or married name, both halves of a hyphenated surname, a legal first name instead of a nickname, or a middle name the doctor goes by. If you searched by city or state, try again with the location left blank, since a doctor's listed work location may be out of date.
Check the other board. If the ABD search is empty, try Certification Matters, then the osteopathic route. The AAD also recognizes certification from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. You can also contact the board you think certified the doctor and ask directly.
Ask the office. Call and ask which board certified the doctor, and what name the certificate is under. Then search that board. A practice should be able to answer this plainly.
If you still find nothing, the doctor may not be board certified in dermatology. That is different from being unlicensed, but it is worth knowing before a procedure.
Board certification vs. license vs. FAAD
A state license is the legal permission to practice medicine, and it is not issued by specialty. Board certification shows that a doctor completed specialty training and passed that specialty board's exams. FAAD, short for Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, indicates board certification and membership in the AAD; the AAD's Find a Dermatologist directory, which you can search by city, including Brooklyn, lists its members. Physician assistants carry a separate credential, PA-C, from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). For a fuller explanation of each, read what dermatologist credentials mean.
Board certification is national, so these lookups are national too. To focus on Brooklyn, use the city and state shown in each result.
Our clinicians, stated plainly
Here is how we describe the clinicians at Bay Ridge Dermatology:
- [Dr. Evangeline Perez](/providers/dr-evangeline-perez), a board-certified dermatologist with more than 20 years of experience
- Nicole Marie Colucci, PA-C, a board-certified physician assistant (NCCPA)
- Kerry Ly, PA-C, who speaks Mandarin and Cantonese in addition to English
You can read more about each of them on our providers page. If you would like to know which board certified any of our clinicians, ask the office. Call (347) 497-4984 or reach us through the contact page.
Checking credentials before a visit is a reasonable step, and we are glad to answer questions about ours. When you're ready, book online or call (347) 497-4984.
This article is general information, not medical advice. For advice about your own skin, see a dermatologist.