This interview is one in a series of interviews with the 2026 recipients of the ACGME Awards. These awardees join an outstanding group of previous honorees whose work and contributions to graduate medical education (GME) represent the best in the field. They will be honored at the 2026 ACGME Annual Educational Conference, taking place February 19-21, 2026, in San Diego, California.
2026 Parker J. Palmer Courage to Lead Awardee James P. Orlando, EdD, PCC was nominated while serving as the Chief GME Officer and designated institutional official (DIO) at St. Luke’s University Health Network in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He is now Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education at Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine in Spokane, Washington.
ACGME: How did you become involved in medicine, and in academic medicine specifically?
Dr. Orlando: I became involved in medical education in 2004. I served as an internal organizational development consultant at Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, Pennsylvania. I supported the Chief of Education back then (Dr. Sara Viessman) on change management projects: (1) increasing resident and faculty member satisfaction; and (2) restructuring her department. Out of the reorganization, she created a new position: Director of Medical Education, and she asked me to apply for it. I did and got the job.
ACGME: What does this award mean to you?
Orlando: Dr. Viessman and Dr. Bill Iobst referred me to Dr. [Parker J.] Palmer's book “Let Your Life Speak.” Palmer emphasizes that vocation comes from listening to your life rather than imposing your will upon it. He discusses the importance of discovering who you already are, rather than becoming who you think you should be. The central metaphor is about listening to what your life is telling you through your experiences, joys, and struggles. I connected with these adult and organizational development themes in that leadership is a process of transformation. Once in the medical education field, I could see medical students, residents, and faculty members going through their own transformation process. This award goes beyond leadership recognition, in that it points to the support students, residents, faculty members, program leaders, and teams need to (re)discover their inherent talents, interests, and potentials.
ACGME: What do you feel is the most important job a DIO has?
Orlando: I think the most important job a DIO has is learning how to be a learning leader. This means (a) providing strategic leadership for workforce development and the clinical learning environment; (b) collaborating with a “whole systems” approach to design innovative training programs, implement faculty development programs (e.g., teaching, career, teaming, and leadership skills), enhance house staff and faculty member engagement; and (c) ensuring medical education programs and initiatives align with business and community goals.
ACGME: What is the most rewarding part of your job?
Orlando: Three things: (1) Seeing residents working through their challenges, light up when they talk about their work, and seeing them graduate; (2) Seeing GME staff members, faculty members, and program leaders lean into their interests and grow in their careers; and, (3) Growing new programs to serve our community for generations to come.
ACGME: What is the most challenging?
Orlando: Ensuring everyone understands the value of GME to the institution, learners, faculty members, and the community, and how GME can have positive, transformative impact on organizational culture, patient outcomes, and community health.
ACGME: What advice do you have for residents who may be interested in pursuing a career in academic medicine?
Orlando: Focus on being a proficiently skilled physician first and developing your emotional intelligence; along the way, in the spirit of Parker Palmer, take time to listen to what your life is telling you through your experiences, joys, and struggles, to identify opportunities for experimenting and branching out.
Learn more about the ACGME’s Parker J. Palmer Courage to Lead Award here.