James A. Arrighi, MD
Chicago, IL – June 9, 2021 - ACGME International (ACGME-I) announced James A. Arrighi, MD as its new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective September 2021. In this role, Dr. Arrighi will focus on expanding the organization globally, forging partnerships with medical educators, and prioritizing opportunities and educational programs in developing countries with limited resources.
"Dr. Arrighi brings a wealth of knowledge in graduate medical education, innovation, and strategic leadership to ACGME-I,” said Thomas J. Nasca, MD, MACP, president and chief executive officer of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and Chair of the ACGME-I Board of Directors. “His energy and experience will guide ACGME-I into the next phase as it works with medical educators across the globe to create GME programs that meet the needs and resources of their countries."
"I am excited to lead the ACGME-I, and will approach the position with enthusiasm, humility, and respect for the diversity of backgrounds and cultures within the global medical community. I look forward to collaborating with current and future partners around the world and to advance our shared goals of improving postgraduate medical education and health care in their institutions and regions," said Dr. Arrighi.
Dr. Arrighi's relationship with ACGME-I and the ACGME is long established, having served five years as Chair of the Medicine-based Review Committee-International and as a member of the ACGME Review Committee for Internal Medicine for seven years. He was also part of the ACGME's Cardiology Milestones Work Group; American Board of Medical Specialties/ACGME Working Group on Milestones; Task Force on Fatigue Management, Supervision, Professionalism, and Patient Safety; and ACGME Stakeholder Strategy Workshop in 2013.
Dr. Arrighi comes to ACGME-I after 16 years at Lifespan (Rhode Island and Miriam Hospitals) and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, where he served as program director in cardiology, and, most recently, as professor of medicine, director of graduate medical education, and designated institutional official. Prior to his tenure in the Lifespan health care system, Dr. Arrighi was on the faculty at the Yale School of Medicine, and served as program director in cardiology and as chief of the nuclear medicine section at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. Dr. Arrighi also is a veteran of the US Public Health Service, as Lieutenant Commander at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from 1989-1992.
Following his graduation from college and medical school at Brown University, Dr. Arrighi completed his residency in internal medicine at Barnes Hospital, Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri and at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH in Bethesda, Maryland. He went on to complete fellowships in nuclear cardiology at NIH, and in cardiology and nuclear medicine at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. Dr. Arrighi is board certified in cardiovascular disease and nuclear cardiology.
Dr. Arrighi has received several awards recognizing his successful record in training, including two Certificates of Recognition for Exemplary Teaching and a Dean's Excellence in Teaching Award from Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He has been published in more than 75 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters and has given more than 130 presentations on topics ranging from advances in nuclear cardiology to updates on ACGME requirements. He is a Fellow, American College of Cardiology and Master, American Society of Nuclear Cardiology.
ACGME-I is an independent 501(c)(3) organization, created by the ACGME in 2009 after petitions from governments and medical institutions abroad to extend its accreditation model internationally. After a successful pilot project in Singapore, ACGME-I expanded to areas of the Middle East and beyond to provide accreditation services to 163 programs in 19 institutions across 11 countries: Singapore, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Haiti, Pakistan, Kenya, Guatemala, and China. Its mission is to improve health care by assessing and advancing the quality of resident physicians' education through accreditation. Fundamentally, ACGME-I seeks to improve global health by ensuring that physicians who care for individuals are well-prepared in all aspects required of their chosen specialty.