Dr. Riley is the Hal Reed Black endowed professor and chair for the Department of Urology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She is the urology residency program director and Vice Chair of the Department. She has throughout her career served as urology clinic director, executive director of surgical services, urology research director and director of endourology. She graduated from St. Louis University School of Medicine and completed a six-year urology residency at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She completed a two-year fellowship in endourology/robotics/ laparoscopy at the University of Pittsburgh.
During her time at UAMS she has brought surgical excellence in stone disease and initiated an acute stone clinic to improve access for patients. She has also performed the first holmium laser enucleation of the prostate at the institution. She also is involved in renal transplantation performing recipient surgery for living donors and helped implement the paired exchange program. Her clinical interests include surgical and medical management of kidney stones, ureteral reconstruction, Laser enucleation of the prostate, renal surgery and renal transplantation. She also has interests in clinical efficiency, advocacy, education and physician ease of practice.
Dr. Riley is very active within the American Urologic Association and the South Central Section of the AUA. She is currently the Secretary of the South Central Section. She serves on the AUA Business and Leadership Committee. She has previously been a member of the AUA state advocacy committee and the Young Urologist committee. She has been on the program planning committee and the nominating committee for the SCS. She completed the AUA leadership program in 2019. She serves as a surgical coach by helping to improve OR efficiency and confidence amongst surgeons. Currently she is completing her MBA/MS in healthcare leadership from the University of Texas Dallas through the prestigious Alliance for Physician Leaders program.
Outside of the hospital, Julie is a long-distance triathlete. She has completed numerous half ironman triathlons, four ironman triathlons and most recently an Ultraman triathlon. She is passionate about medical aid trips, particularly in surgical training in developing countries, and has completed numerous trips to Peru and Honduras. Any free time she has, she enjoys being with her partner, Brian and their black lab, Izzy.