James A. Arrighi, MD

President and Chief Executive Officer, ACGME International

Dr. Arrighi is the President and Chief Executive Officer of ACGME-International. He completed his Bachelor of Science and Medical Doctor degrees at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He then completed graduate medical education (GME) in internal medicine, cardiology, and nuclear medicine at Washington University in St. Louis, the National Institutes of Health, and Yale University School of Medicine.

Dr. Arrighi’s career has focused on improving GME and mentoring physicians in training. Upon completion of his own education and training, he joined the cardiology faculty at Yale and served as program director for the cardiology fellowship. In additional to his clinician-educator responsibilities, he was actively engaged in nuclear cardiology and cardiac imaging research and directed the nuclear medicine service at the West Haven VA Hospital. In 2004, he moved to his alma mater, and joined the cardiology faculty at Rhode Island Hospital and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. There, he initially served as program director in cardiology, and subsequently served as Director of Graduate Medical Education and designated institutional official for the Lifespan healthcare system. He achieved the rank of Professor of Medicine, Diagnostic Imaging, and Medical Science at Brown, and received several faculty awards for exemplary teaching. For over two decades, he has mentored residents and fellows; he has published over 70 peer-reviewed publications, and has delivered over 130 national or international invited lectures.

Dr. Arrighi has also been actively engaged in several professional societies, including the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, serving in multiple leadership roles, including as president; and  the American College of Cardiology, with a focus on medical education and as chair of the committee overseeing cardiology training guidelines. He is a Master of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, and a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology.

Dr. Arrighi has had longstanding involvement with the ACGME. In 2016, he joined the Review Committee for Internal Medicine, serving as its Chair for a four-year period during the rollout of the “Next Accreditation System. In 2016, he began a five-year term as Chair of the medical-based Review Committee-International, during a period when ACGME-I saw substantial growth in its accredited programs. He joined the ACGME-I staff in his current role in 2021.