Ben Reynolds is a physician assistant and the chief advanced practice officer and executive for UPMC which operates 44 academic, community and specialty hospitals and more than 600 outpatient sites of care across Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland. Reynolds directs the health system's Office of Advanced Practice Providers, which oversees the operational readiness and practice advancement of nearly 4,000 physician assistants, nurse midwives, nurse anesthetists and nurse practitioners at all of UPMC's sites of care delivery. In addition, he is charged with the oversight of clinical education delivery for over 1000 advanced practice provider students in nearly 2,000 clinical rotations throughout UPMC from almost 60 programs both locally and nationally.
Prior to becoming a physician assistant, Reynolds served as a U.S. Navy Corpsman during the first Gulf War at what was then known as Bethesda Naval Hospital, receiving training to be a surgical technologist. Following his honorable discharge from the military, Reynolds completed his bachelor's degree in science at George Mason University then received his Master of Science in physician assistant studies jointly from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and Seton Hall University. Reynolds has been involved in the surgical care of patients for over 30 years and maintains active clinical practice in trauma and acute care surgery at UPMC Presbyterian one of the busiest level one trauma centers in North America where he precepts residents, interns, as well as medical, physician assistant and nurse practitioner students.
As a clinical assistant professor of Surgery and Physician Assistant Studies with the University of Pittsburgh, Reynolds founded and currently lectures in the Fundamentals of Surgery course for the physician assistant program at SHRS. This novel semester-long class focuses on preparing physician assistant students for high level practice in the modern surgery environment. He is also an executive sponsor of SHRS' APP Leadership Certificate course which teaches emerging leaders' foundational skills to be successful in the management of interprofessional teams and health care administration.
At UPMC, where he oversees one of the largest single employed workforces of nurse practitioners and physician assistants in the nation, he developed the first postgraduate surgical residency to train BOTH physician assistants AND nurse practitioners in the United States. As one of the first executives in the country to be charged with leading NPs and PAs at the system level, Reynolds has been a pioneer, helping to develop the blueprint for other advanced practice providers to follow in finding their seat at the leadership table.
Reynolds is a member of many professional societies and advisory boards but most notably is a founding member and vice-president of the Pennsylvania Alliance of Advanced Practice Leaders, where he collaborates with other advanced practice leaders to move forward the agenda on interprofessional team-based care in the Commonwealth to make high value health care more accessible to all Pennsylvanians.
Reynolds is a distinguished fellow of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, and a member of Pi Alpha, the National Honor Society for PAs. Notably, Reynolds was honored to be named a 2022 Presidential Leadership Scholar, a selective program that brings together bold and principled leaders who are committed to facing critical challenges, both at home and around the world through exploring lessons learned during the administrations of George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson from the presidents themselves and their closest advisers.