AAIM Member Spotlight
James B. Reilly, MD, MS, FACP
Vice Chair, Education Residency Program Director,
Department of Medicine
Allegheny Health Network
How long have you been a member of AAIM?
I joined the Alliance in 2010 when I became an associate program director at Penn. I remember that my first APDIM meeting was in San Antonio, so being at AIMW18 this year really took me back to some great memories. There were so many people who were doing the things I aspired to do and to be able to interact with those folks was very valuable. AAIM has been a family affair for me from the beginning. When I joined, my dad was the program director for Allegheny at the time, so I not only had my Penn family around me for that first meeting but also got to spend a lot of time with him. And now that I’m at Allegheny, I can still look forward to catching up with old friends.
Describe your typical day.
It really depends on what time of the year and whether I am on service or not. My clinical responsibilities are hospital based. I divide my time between inpatient medicine teaching and serving as a nephrology consultant with our fellows in the ICU setting. If I am on service basically my day starts with getting in way too early so I can do some work before I round and save some time to run the administrative parts of the program. If I’m not on service, my day is a bit more flexible. I am responsible for overseeing all aspects of the program, staying in touch with the residents and chief residents, and meeting and communicating with faculty and our department and system leaders. And of course, as any PD will tell you, there’s recruiting season which is entirely different from anything else we do. Being a PD just doesn’t lend itself to having a “typical day.”
What is your favorite part of the job?
I would say my favorite part of the job is having the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with either residents or faculty members who are just trying to work through something or figure something out. Things they need me for are less about teaching them medicine. When I’m with them I give them career advice or even work through issues they face balancing work within their personal lives. These are the things that really only the PD or mentor gets to do. In some ways it is a lot like advising and other days it feels very pastoral. People kid me about the boxes of tissues I stock in my closet, but the truth is that the conversations where I break them out are the ones I tend to cherish most.
How has the AAIM membership been of value to you and your career?
I think the Alliance membership is of value in multiple ways. Alliance educational programs and resources are of high quality content and very valuable. I’ve learned so much just from that. The opportunities to get my name out in terms of workshops and participating in committees have proved beneficial. I greatly enjoyed my brief time on the Alliance policy committee. Over next few months I’ll be moving into a new role as Designated Institutional Official (DIO) for Allegheny. As I head into this role there is excitement and uncertainty and I’ve already spoken with a couple Alliance members who have made the transition. They’ve given me such valuable advice and opened my eyes to another benefit of AAIM, which is the mentorship available in our community. Through AAIM I hope that moving forward I can be for others what so many folks have been for me.
What's your favorite moment of your career so far?
I have a handful of favorite moments. I can remember vividly a few times where we (resident and I) realized that we successfully made it through a tough situation and we recognized how far we came. Graduation is also a favorite, celebrating their accomplishments and realizing I had an impact on their development – and now they can fly without me. When you’re a PD, I think you have to measure your success by the success of your people, and that’s what I try to do.
What was your childhood dream job?
I had the opportunity to see the medical profession up close through my dad, but my childhood dream job was to play professional baseball. I worked really hard at it and played all the way through college at St. Joseph’s University. It became apparent that I hit my ceiling and wouldn’t be good enough for scouts to draft me, so I had to give it up when I hit medical school. I have to admit there were times during medical school when if the Pirates called me I would have given it a go!
How do you spend your free time?
I still watch some baseball, but I haven’t taken a meaningful swing for more than 10 years. My exercise now is running and I’m training for a half marathon, but outside of that I spend all of my free time with family including my wife and my children who are 2, 5 and 7 years of age. Whatever time is left goes towards staying rested. Fun is great but right now I prioritize sleep when I have to choose between them.
What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I’m a big fan of musical theater. We have a lot of performers in my family and I come from a long line of stage hands on my mom’s side. We grew up with musical theater as a big part of our lives. In our house we mixed in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Rodgers and Hammerstein with all the other stuff on the radio. It is one of the things my wife and I have always enjoyed together, and we’ve loved passing it on to our kids. My two year old’s most requested song in the car right now is “Stick It to the Man” from School of Rock. Pray for me.