Terry A Adirim

Terry Adirim is an American physician with experience in pediatric emergency medicine, health policy, and medical administration. She was the senior associate dean for clinical affairs, professor of pediatrics, and department chair at Florida Atlantic University before serving as the acting assistant secretary of defense for health affairs in 2021. Adirim was the senior executive of the Center for Global Health Services at the Central Intelligence Agency until 2025.

Education Adirim earned a B.A. in biology from Brandeis University in 1985. She completed a M.D. with research distinction from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in 1991. In 2017, Adirim completed a M.B.A. from the Isenberg School of Management at University of Massachusetts Amherst. In that capacity, she advised the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin and the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness on matters related to health and force health protection policies, programs, and activities.

In late 2021, Adirim became the executive director of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs electronic health record modernization (EHRM) integration office in order to address challenges identified in the Department’s strategic review report in connection with the initial roll-out of the Department’s electronic health record (EHR) system at a Spokane, Washington medical center prior to her tenure. During her tenure, a report from the VA Office of Inspector General cited nearly 150 instances of patient harm at that initial Spokane deployment site linked to the new electronic health record system. She was terminated from that role on April 4, 2025. She subsequently filed a lawsuit alleging defamation, due process, privacy, and contract violations, claiming the dismissal was related to her prior involvement in military vaccination policy. A federal judge denied her request to prevent the termination from taking effect without ruling on the other pending claims.