Kyla Terhune, MD, MBA, associate dean for Graduate Medical Education for Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Senior Vice President for Educational Affairs for Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been named the Senior Vice President for Education at the American College of Surgeons (ACS).
Terhune, who also serves as the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)/National Resident Matching Program Designated Institutional Official (DIO), begins her ACS leadership role Nov. 1.
“In her six years serving in the GME role here, Kyla has been truly outstanding — appropriately advocating for the house staff, partnering with faculty to grow programs to meet our education and clinical needs and raising the bar for GME to new heights,” said Donald Brady, MD, Executive Vice President for Educational Affairs at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Senior Associate Dean for Health Science Education at Vanderbilt University. “Kyla has had a vision for ensuring that graduate medical education was integrally woven into the fabric of VUMC — that was clear in her efforts during the pandemic, as well as her collaborative expansion of GME to meet the needs of the new Jim Ayers Tower.
“She cares about and for the residents and fellows, from enabling them to meaningfully contribute to VUMC committees to building programs to support their well-being and career aspirations. I have greatly valued her 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,” Brady said.
Terhune expressed gratitude to her mentors and colleagues, as well as the patients she’s cared for during her 21 years at Vanderbilt.
“I am excited to take all the lessons learned here 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,” she said. “I am also admittedly grieving the loss of all that I have enjoyed in service to our patients here at VUMC.
“Despite my admitted emotions, I also understand that change is a natural and essential part of any institution’s progress — and that growth often means individuals stepping away from and others stepping into new opportunities, both for themselves and for the organization. I am very confident in the sustainability of our ongoing progress in GME, and it will — as it should — only get better and better.”
In a statement, ACS executive director and CEO Patricia Turner, MD, MBA, said, “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.”
Terhune is a professor of Surgery and Anesthesiology and an associate chief of staff at Vanderbilt University Hospital. She practices Acute Care Surgery at VUMC and was previously a staff surgeon and chief of General Surgery in the Veterans Administration Tennessee Valley Healthcare System. Before her current GME role, she served as the program director for Surgery Residency at VUMC.
A nationally renowned lecturer and educator, Terhune has been the recipient of several distinguished awards, including the inaugural David Leach Award from the 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, 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. She completed her surgery residency and a critical care fellowship at VUMC. Terhune also earned an MBA from Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management.
Terhune has been an ACS Fellow since 2014. The ACS is the largest surgical organization in the world, with 90,000 members worldwide. The organization is dedicated to improving the care of surgical patients.
Rebecca Swan, MD, assistant dean of GME, vice chair for Education in the Department of Pediatrics and former chair of the GME Committee, will serve as interim DIO during the transition.
