CHICAGO — Kyla P. Terhune, MD, MBA, FACS, a respected surgical educator from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, has begun her tenure with the American College of Surgeons (ACS) as Senior Vice President of the ACS Division of Education.
“Dr. Terhune is an extraordinary leader, clinician, and educator,” said ACS Executive Director & CEO Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS. “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.”
Dr. Terhune, an ACS Fellow since 2014, served as program director of the Vanderbilt surgery residency from 2014 until 2019 and then as the associate dean for graduate medical education at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and senior vice president for educational affairs and the Designated Institutional Official (DIO) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center from 2019 until September 2025. She also served as an associate chief of staff at Vanderbilt University Hospital with a practice in acute care surgery and was previously a staff surgeon and chief of general surgery in the Veterans Administration Tennessee Valley Healthcare System. She will continue to hold an appointment as Adjoint Professor of Surgery at Vanderbilt.
Dr. Terhune’s educational philosophy emphasizes the importance of building systems of innovative educational practices that support the delivery of patient care.
“I am very excited to join ACS — to take past experiences and apply them to serve its members — with a goal of fostering educational systems that promote professional development and skills to maximize both quality and access for surgical patients globally,” said Dr. Terhune.
Dr. Terhune succeeds Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, FRCSC, who will lead the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators as Senior Vice President until his planned retirement from ACS in September 2026.
A nationally recognized 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 has served on the ACGME Board of Directors and on committees for the National Board of Medical Examiners.
After receiving her undergraduate degree in molecular biology from Princeton University, Dr. Terhune coached basketball and taught high school chemistry and biology before returning for her medical degree from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her surgery residency and critical care fellowship at Vanderbilt and completed an MBA at Vanderbilt in 2016.
