Wayne Riley: energetic new President for century-old ACP

Abstract

A thought experiment. Imagine you're asked to devise a compelling CV for someone applying for a high-profile post: the Presidency of the American College of Physicians (ACP). What would they be looking for? A training in medicine, obviously. A qualification in health systems management might also be useful, as would an MBA. And some practical administrative experience both inside medicine (running a medical school, say) and outside it, perhaps in local government. And one other ingredient, something relevant but slightly offbeat…how about a degree in anthropology with a focus on the way that different cultures understand health and disease? Would that get the job? A shoo-in. Currently at Nashville's Vanderbilt University, Wayne Riley assumes the ACP Presidency on May 2, 2015.“Wayne's career has been a remarkable preparation for the responsibilities, challenges, and privilege of leading the ACP”, says Jonathan Perlin a member of the Board of Trustees of Nashville's Meharry Medical College, of which Riley is a past President. And although it would be absurd to suggest that Riley had engineered his career to this end, ambition does seem to be part of his make up. Another man who knows him well is Louis Sullivan, President Emeritus of Atlanta's Morehouse School of Medicine where Riley trained. They first met when Sullivan was Dean and President of Morehouse and Riley was president of the school's student body. Describing Riley as an effective student leader, Sullivan recalls one meeting that stays in his memory. “At the end of it I asked him what his future plans were. He hesitated for a moment, then looked me in the eye and said, ‘Well, Sir, I'm really interested in your job’.” He may not have got that particular job, but he did land an equivalent at Meharry. “He was a leader then and he's a leader now”, says Sullivan.Riley did not come either immediately or directly to medicine. A native of New Orleans, to which he is still devoted, he went north to do his anthropology degree at Yale University, graduating in 1981 before returning home to work in the office of the city's Mayor. He worked first on job training programmes, then acted as one of the Mayor's personal assistants. It was, he says, a useful lesson in leadership. But although he'd decided by this time to study medicine he'd also developed an interest in public health and health-care systems; so he enrolled at Tulane University to do a masters in health systems management. Only then did he embark on his medical training—which he did in parallel with a part-time MBA. “I wanted more tools in my toolkit”, he explains.After graduating in 1993, Riley completed his residency in internal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, moving in 2007 to Meharry as its President. Founded at the end of the American Civil War, Meharry was set up to train newly freed slaves, a history it continues to honour through its policy of serving underserved communities. “We made sure we trained a cadre of health-care professionals with a strong affinity for those who have difficulty accessing health care”, says Riley. On a more personal note he adds, “I have a strong emotional connection with Meharry because my late father trained there.” After 7 years, he moved to his present job as Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine and an Adjunct Professor of Health Care Management at Vanderbilt University where he teaches and mentors.As President of the ACP Riley will preside over an organisation which, with some 141 000 members, is the largest medical specialty organisation in the USA. In celebrating its centenary year in 2015 members will no doubt be recalling that among the catalysts of its creation was the admiration of one of its founders, Heinrich Stern, for the UK's Royal College of Physicians. One of Riley's principal and continuing concerns will be with health inequalities in the USA. “There's still unequal access among rural communities, inner city communities, and many minority communities to some of the advances in health care”, he says. “This is something in which the ACP, I'm proud to say, has really been a leader. We've made sure that in our health and policy deliberations we consider the impact on minorities of any decisions we make.” The ACP gives its firm support to President Obama's Affordable Care Act. “Some 17 million Americans now have health insurance because of it”, Riley points out. “That's a monumental achievement. We at the College were very active during the design of the legislation because we think it does help to meet our goal of universal access to health care.”Sullivan and Perlin both expect Riley to be an effective President of the ACP. He's diligent, he listens to others, and he consults widely before making up his mind. Perlin agrees. “He's good at bringing people together, at team-building.” He groups Riley's talents under three headings: “His intellect, his passion, and his tirelessness in working to make connections between individuals and ideas, and to turn ideas into reality.”Riley's career so far looks like that of a driven man, of someone with a fierce determination to prove something to himself or to others. “Some folks have described me as driven”, he concedes. “But I prefer to say I just have a passion for things that can make a difference. We're given finite years on this Earth, and you want to make an impact.” A thought experiment. Imagine you're asked to devise a compelling CV for someone applying for a high-profile post: the Presidency of the American College of Physicians (ACP). What would they be looking for? A training in medicine, obviously. A qualification in health systems management might also be useful, as would an MBA. And some practical administrative experience both inside medicine (running a medical school, say) and outside it, perhaps in local government. And one other ingredient, something relevant but slightly offbeat…how about a degree in anthropology with a focus on the way that different cultures understand health and disease? Would that get the job? A shoo-in. Currently at Nashville's Vanderbilt University, Wayne Riley assumes the ACP Presidency on May 2, 2015. “Wayne's career has been a remarkable preparation for the responsibilities, challenges, and privilege of leading the ACP”, says Jonathan Perlin a member of the Board of Trustees of Nashville's Meharry Medical College, of which Riley is a past President. And although it would be absurd to suggest that Riley had engineered his career to this end, ambition does seem to be part of his make up. Another man who knows him well is Louis Sullivan, President Emeritus of Atlanta's Morehouse School of Medicine where Riley trained. They first met when Sullivan was Dean and President of Morehouse and Riley was president of the school's student body. Describing Riley as an effective student leader, Sullivan recalls one meeting that stays in his memory. “At the end of it I asked him what his future plans were. He hesitated for a moment, then looked me in the eye and said, ‘Well, Sir, I'm really interested in your job’.” He may not have got that particular job, but he did land an equivalent at Meharry. “He was a leader then and he's a leader now”, says Sullivan. Riley did not come either immediately or directly to medicine. A native of New Orleans, to which he is still devoted, he went north to do his anthropology degree at Yale University, graduating in 1981 before returning home to work in the office of the city's Mayor. He worked first on job training programmes, then acted as one of the Mayor's personal assistants. It was, he says, a useful lesson in leadership. But although he'd decided by this time to study medicine he'd also developed an interest in public health and health-care systems; so he enrolled at Tulane University to do a masters in health systems management. Only then did he embark on his medical training—which he did in parallel with a part-time MBA. “I wanted more tools in my toolkit”, he explains. After graduating in 1993, Riley completed his residency in internal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, moving in 2007 to Meharry as its President. Founded at the end of the American Civil War, Meharry was set up to train newly freed slaves, a history it continues to honour through its policy of serving underserved communities. “We made sure we trained a cadre of health-care professionals with a strong affinity for those who have difficulty accessing health care”, says Riley. On a more personal note he adds, “I have a strong emotional connection with Meharry because my late father trained there.” After 7 years, he moved to his present job as Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine and an Adjunct Professor of Health Care Management at Vanderbilt University where he teaches and mentors. As President of the ACP Riley will preside over an organisation which, with some 141 000 members, is the largest medical specialty organisation in the USA. In celebrating its centenary year in 2015 members will no doubt be recalling that among the catalysts of its creation was the admiration of one of its founders, Heinrich Stern, for the UK's Royal College of Physicians. One of Riley's principal and continuing concerns will be with health inequalities in the USA. “There's still unequal access among rural communities, inner city communities, and many minority communities to some of the advances in health care”, he says. “This is something in which the ACP, I'm proud to say, has really been a leader. We've made sure that in our health and policy deliberations we consider the impact on minorities of any decisions we make.” The ACP gives its firm support to President Obama's Affordable Care Act. “Some 17 million Americans now have health insurance because of it”, Riley points out. “That's a monumental achievement. We at the College were very active during the design of the legislation because we think it does help to meet our goal of universal access to health care.” Sullivan and Perlin both expect Riley to be an effective President of the ACP. He's diligent, he listens to others, and he consults widely before making up his mind. Perlin agrees. “He's good at bringing people together, at team-building.” He groups Riley's talents under three headings: “His intellect, his passion, and his tirelessness in working to make connections between individuals and ideas, and to turn ideas into reality.” Riley's career so far looks like that of a driven man, of someone with a fierce determination to prove something to himself or to others. “Some folks have described me as driven”, he concedes. “But I prefer to say I just have a passion for things that can make a difference. We're given finite years on this Earth, and you want to make an impact.” Osler redux: the American College of Physicians at 100Medicine, theology, and law were the principal subjects taught in medieval universities and thus became the learned professions. Their practitioners gained further esteem by helping people through difficult matters clouded with uncertainty. Medicine's marriage to science and technology has reduced uncertainty in diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis, thereby diminishing the role of opinion, judgment, and wisdom as opposed to purely technical expertise. The French medical historian Danielle Gourevitch greeted the new millennium in The Lancet by suggesting that physicians will soon be replaced by health-care technicians. Full-Text PDF