Dr. James Harley is a trauma surgeon at Mercy Health-St. Rita’s Medical Center.
LIMA — In 1893, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams completed the first-ever successful heart surgery. Today, physicians around the world continue to make advancements that change the scope of healthcare. In Lima, Dr. James Harley is doing the same to make a difference.
“I am a trauma surgeon and I am the trauma medical director (at Mercy Health-St. Rita’s Medical Center),” said Harley. “My role is part clinical and part administrative. I still operate on patients and take care of patients and that is what led me to medicine — being able to care for whatever community I am a part of, being able to help restore health to the sick and shut-in.”
Harley dedicates much of his life to his patients and the community. Although he is from South Carolina, after six months in Lima he has made an impact on those around him. Harley joined the medical field following in the footsteps of his mother and discovering the pathway already created for this life.
“I skipped the fourth grade,” said Harley. “When you do something like that you sort of bring attention to yourself and people start asking what are going to do with your life, and I had no idea. I was a child. Looking back at my journey, if there is something I could pinpoint as inspiration or motivation the combination of my paternal grandparents and my parents. My mother was a nurse and she was in healthcare, so I was sort of seeing the healthcare thing. My dad was in the military, so that is where the discipline came from.”
Growing up, Harley would visit his paternal grandparents on their farm. Harley said the first person to teach him how to sew was not the Boy Scouts but his grandmother. Harley’s grandfather taught him to do morning and evening ‘rounds’ on the farm, although those are different than the rounds he currently conducts with his patients.
“I would like to think that we don’t really choose our paths in life,” said Harley. “God knows where he wants us and our chosen way of life chooses us. You can try to avoid it if you want but sooner or later, it pulls you in. I just look at that with that routine and what I was doing with my hands as a child, well it’s right there.”
Since relocating to Lima, Harley has dedicated much of his free time to helping youth. Harley plans to help with organizations such as My Brothers Keeper to inspire others of the endless possibilities. In recognizing Black History month, Harley said the important part is to have uncomfortable conversations and help others view Black history as American history.
“Race is such a sensitive topic,” he said. “It depends on where you are catching someone (or) their last experience. It is such a sensitive topic and most people want to avoid it, but I would want to encourage people not to avoid the conversation. It is okay to have difficult conversations. That is how you grow.”
Harley has completed medical school and business school. In the future, Harley hopes to publish a book about his life to hopefully inspire future generations.
“I want to write a book that chronicles my journey,” said Harley. “I actually already have the abstract and the rough draft. This is what I set out to do in both spectrums. Now, it is just a matter of blazing that trail.”
Reach Precious Grundy at 567-242-0351.
