POTSDAM -- Justin A. MacKinnon, emergency medicine physician, recently successfully fulfilled the certification requirements of the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) and was declared a diplomate of the board.

His residency was followed by completion of an examination covering the breadth of the discipline of emergency medicine, in addition to a half-day oral examination, according to a press release.

Certification is for a period of ten years.

MacKinnon grew up in the North Country, graduating from St. Lawrence Central School. He went on to graduate from Clarkson University before entering medical school.

He received his medical degree from The State University of New York Upstate Medical School in Syracuse and completed his residency in emergency medicine at Albany Medical Center in Albany.

MacKinnon practices in Potsdam in the emergency department of Canton-Potsdam Hospital, where he also serves as assistant director of the emergency department and was instrumental in establishing the hospital’s provisional Level III Trauma Center status, the release said.

MacKinnon also practices in Gouverneur in the emergency department of Gouverneur Hospital.

Now that he is certified, MacKinnon is enrolled in the ABEM Maintenance of Certification (ABEM MOC) program, which requires continuous learning in the field of emergency medicine in order to maintain certification.

ABEM MOC consists of activities that will assist its certified physicians in keeping current in medical research, providing opportunities for practice improvement, and supporting appropriate communication and professionalism with patients.

Additional information about ABEM is available at www.abem.org.

For more information about St. Lawrence Health System visit www.stlawrencehealthsystem.org.