General surgeon Kyla P. Terhune, MD, MBA, FACS, from Nashville, Tennessee, began her role as Incoming ACS Senior Vice President, Education on September 15. She will succeed Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, FRCSC, as Senior Vice President, Education, on November 1, when Dr. Sachdeva transitions to focusing solely on the Academy of Master Surgeon Educators until his retirement in September 2026.
“Dr. Terhune is an extraordinary leader, clinician, and educator. I look forward to her contributions to the ACS as we advance our ability to deliver timely, evidence-based training and education, modernize College educational platforms, and optimize our offerings to help us deliver the highest quality of care to our patients,” said Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS, ACS Executive Director and CEO.
An ACS Fellow since 2014, Dr. Terhune has been a professor of surgery and anesthesiology and the associate dean for graduate medical education at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; senior vice president for educational affairs and the Designated Institutional Official (DIO) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC); and an associate chief of staff at Vanderbilt University Hospital. She has practiced acute care surgery at VUMC and was previously a staff surgeon and chief of general surgery in the Veterans Administration Tennessee Valley Healthcare System. She also served as program director for surgery residency at Vanderbilt.
“I have greatly valued Kyla as an innovative, creative colleague, but even more so as a trusted and compassionate friend. I am happy for her to have this exciting new role where she can influence surgical education on a national scale. The ACS has chosen very well,” said Donald W. Brady, MD, executive vice president for educational affairs at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and senior associate dean for health science education at Vanderbilt University.
After receiving her undergraduate degree in molecular biology from Princeton University in New Jersey, Dr. Terhune taught high school biology and chemistry, and coached basketball before earning her medical degree from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She completed her surgery residency and a critical care fellowship at VUMC. Dr. Terhune also earned a master of business administration degree from Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management.
A nationally renowned lecturer, Dr. Terhune has been the recipient of several distinguished teaching awards, including the inaugural David Leach Award from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the Philip J. Wolfson Outstanding Teacher Award from the Association for Surgical Education. She is a past president of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery, was a founding officer of the National Association of DIOs, and serves on the ACGME Board of Directors and on committees for the National Board of Medical Examiners.
Her educational philosophy emphasizes the importance of building systems of innovative educational practices that support the on-the-ground delivery of patient care.
“I am excited to take all the lessons learned [at Vanderbilt] and apply them in a new setting, one that will allow me to reach new communities and meet new needs at an extremely exciting time of changing technology and practices,” Dr. Terhune said.
