Department of Veterans Affairs Disbursement and Graduate Medical Education Expansion Updates - May 15

During this 60-minute webinar, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) staff will present updates in VA graduate medical education (GME) to include disbursement updates for the upcoming academic year and GME expansion initiatives such as the pilot program for graduate medical education residency (PPGMER) authorized by the Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (MISSION) Act Section 403. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions once the presentations have concluded.

Ryan Scilla, MD
Director of Medical and Dental Education Office of Academic Affiliations
Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration

Dr. Ryan Scilla serves as Director of Medical Dental Education for the Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA), Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA).  In this role he oversees more than 50,000 physician residents, 29,000 medical students and 1,000 dental students and residents annually.

Dr. Scilla previously served as Director of Quality, Safety, & Improvement and Associate Chief of Staff for Education (Designated Education Officer) at the VA Maryland Health Care System.

He was elected to both the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and the Gold Humanism Honor Society by the senior medical students of the University of Maryland School of Medicine.  In his role as University of Maryland School of Medicine Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine, Dr. Scilla has served as a dedicated and passionate clinical educator and mentor for medical students, residents and associated health professions trainees.  Dr. Scilla is board-certified in Internal Medicine through the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM).

John M. Byrne, D.O., FACP
Senior Advisor
Office of Academic Affiliations

John M. Byrne, D.O., FACP is the Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) Senior Advisor, provides guidance on policy, regulatory and statutory issues. Prior to being named Senior Advisor in 2023, Dr. Byrne served as the Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) Director of Medical and Dental Education beginning in January 2021. Prior to 2021, Dr. Byrne served as the Designated Education Officer at VA Loma Linda Healthcare System (VALLHCS) for 22 years.

A graduate of Des Moines University, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Byrne completed an internal medicine residency at Loma Linda University Health (LLUH) and was chief resident at the VALLHCS. He joined the VALLHCS staff where he worked as a general internist in the inpatient and outpatient settings. In 1995, Dr. Byrne became the General Internal Medicine Section Chief and served as the Acting Chief of Medical Service. He also served as the Associate Program Director of the LLUH Internal Medicine Residency.

In addition to his role as Associate Chief of Staff for Education/DEO, Dr. Byrne also served as the Network Academic Affiliations Officer for the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 22 and the VALLHCS Chief Health Informatics Officer. Dr. Byrne is board certified in internal medicine and informatics and is a Professor of Medicine at Loma Linda University School of Medicine.

During his tenure at OAA, Dr. Byrne has served on the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Council on Graduate Medical Education (COGME), the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) Group on Resident Affairs, and the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Council of Residency Review Committees. Dr. Byrne’s publications highlight scholarly interested in the clinical learning environment including trainee perceptions, supervision and psychological safety.