2024 Benigna Education Award
James P. Orlando, EdD ’96
The Benigna Education Award recognizes an alum for their outstanding contributions to the field of education. Administrators, college professors, elementary and secondary teachers, and all those in the teaching profession are eligible. The recipient has made significant innovations in the teaching profession, or otherwise substantially impacted the education process, and has demonstrated dedication to the community at large.
James P. Orlando, EdD ’96 has made significant strides in the fields of medical education, workforce development, and community health. James, who goes by J.P., has led various strategic growth initiatives over his more-than-20-year career, especially in his current role as Chief Graduate Medical Education Officer at St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN), to enhance physician workforce initiatives and implement innovations in education.
J.P. began his education with bachelor of arts degrees in business management and political science at Moravian. He earned his master of science in education (MSEd) in organizational development from Temple University’s School of Education and his doctorate of education (EdD) in corporate learning leadership from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education and Wharton Business School.
J.P. served as Director of Medical Education and Student Affairs at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) from 2004 through 2011. In this role, he helped establish a regional medical campus with LVHN and the University of South Florida College of Medicine. As a result, more than 50 medical students graduate annually, many of whom enter their residencies in the Lehigh Valley and tri-state area.
Over the past 10 years in his current role as Chief Graduate Medical Education Officer at SLUHN, J.P. has significantly expanded the health network’s physician resident and fellowship programs. He led the increase of resident and fellowship positions to 550 positions across 50 accredited programs—a significant increase from 180 positions across 20 programs in 2016. J.P. led growth initiatives to begin new graduate medical education residency and fellowship programs in areas such as primary care, dermatology, dental medicine, psychiatry, addictions medicine, neurology, radiology, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, gynecologic oncology, hematologic oncology, and many more. Through these initiatives, there are over 150 more physicians annually providing healthcare in the US, a majority of whom practice in the Lehigh Valley and tri-state areas.
J.P. has also led efforts to develop innovative physician training and retention programs at SLUHN. SLUHN brings more than 150 new physician residents and fellows to the greater Lehigh Valley area annually, retaining over 40 percent of graduates to work at SLUHN and even more to live and practice in the region. J.P. has also helped extend SLUHN’s reach to new communities. He helped secure more than $3 million in grants from the US Department of Health and Human Services to start new family medicine and psychiatry residencies in the health network’s rural service areas. He also developed professional development curricula in medical education, coaching, leadership development, and physician well-being.
Over the past 15 years, J.P. has served on national medical education boards, task forces, and accreditation bodies. He serves as a member of the Institutional Review Committee at the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and as vice chair at the Alliance of Independent Academic Medical Centers (AIAMC). He co-chairs AIAMC’s National Initiative on Social Determinants of Health. Previously, J.P. served as Treasurer and Commissioner on the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for Physician Assistant Schools.
J.P. holds various honors, awards, and teaching appointments as a graduate level professor at ÑÇÖÞÇéÉ«, the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, and Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. He has authored several peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, many of which discuss contemporary topics in medical education.