J. Richard Lilly

John Richard Lilly was born and raised in Baltimore, MD.  Dr. Lilly attended high school at Baltimore City College, where he was a stellar athlete on both the track and swim teams. He was elected Vice President of his class in both his junior and senior years. After graduation he attended Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, PA.  He was a member of the Sigma Alfa Epsilon fraternity, and was again on the track and swim teams. During the summers he worked at Bethlehem Steel in Dundalk, MD, as a crane repairman’s helper.  He still carries his union card with pride.  

Dr. Lilly decided to pursue a medical career after gaining much inspiration from his cousin, Dr. Melvin Davis who served the Baltimore communities doing house calls in which Dr. Lilly accompanied him. After graduation from Gettysburg he spent a year at the University of Maryland completing a year of graduate work before he began his studies at Temple University School of Medicine. His internship was done at Church Hospital, in his beloved Baltimore.

Dr Lilly proudly served his country in the US Navy.  He was commissioned as an Ensign during his second year at Temple, and in 1963 was promoted to rank of Lieutenant. Dr. Lilly, because of his medical background was assigned to care for the astronauts involved  in Project Mercury. This was a study of  rotating the astronaut in a centrifuge, then placing them in a tank of water for 24 hours to assess the effects of the radical change from zero gravity to standard gravity on the human body, as it related to the reentry to earth. The main goal of the project was to put a man in orbit around the earth and to land him safely afterwards. The astronauts included were former US Senator John Glenn, Jr. and Rear Admiral Alan B. Shepard.

In 1966, Dr. Lilly joined the practice of Fred Musser, MD, and in 1970, decided to start his own Medical Practice in Prince Georges County. He continues to still proudly serve the communities of Hyattsville, Riverdale and Bowie.   He is the Medical Director and owner of one of the largest multi-specialty groups in the county, J. Richard Lilly, MD and Associates.

Dr. Lilly, over his prestigious career, co-founded Doctors Community Hospital in Lanham, MD, and served as Chief of Staff from 1983-1985.  He was elected the President of the Prince George Medical Society in 1986.   Dr. Lilly served on the Board of Directors of  MedChi from 1991-1994, and in 1994, he was elected President. He was appointed by Governor Paris Glendenning in 2002 to the Maryland State Cancer Council and remained in the position for nine years. 

Dr. Lilly has committed his life to the betterment of healthcare in Prince Georges County, in the great state of Maryland. He has served his community and country with valor and pride, and continues to do so.