Martha Terris

Department Chair

Martha Terris

Department Chair

Professor

Academic Appointment(s)

Medical College of Georgia
Department of Urology

Medical College of Georgia
Department of Surgery: Urology

The Graduate School

College of Allied Health Sciences
Department of Physician Assistant

Administration
Department of The Graduate School

College of Allied Health Sciences
Department of Physician Assistant Program

Other Duties

Witherington Distinguished Chair in Urology, Surgery, Urology

Co-Director, Cancer Center

Bio

Martha K. Terris, MD, FACS, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Urology, holding the Witherington Distinguished Chair in Urology at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. She received her general surgery training at Duke University and urologic surgery training at Stanford University. Her urologic oncology fellowship training, also at Stanford, focused on prostate cancer diagnosis and staging. After completion of training in 1995, she remained at Stanford as faculty member in the Department of Urology and Chief of Urology at the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She was a founding member of the Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital (SEARCH) Database. Her continued collaboration with database research as well as with leaders in urologic basic science has generated significant grant funding and over 350 peer-reviewed manuscripts.
Dr. Terris joined the faculty at the Medical College of Georgia and the Augusta Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 2002 as Professor of Urology and Chief of Urology at the Charlie Norwood Veterans Affairs Medical Center where she started the robotic surgery program. She assumed the position of Program Director for the Urology Residency Training Program in 2003. Under her leadership, the program grew from one resident per year to three residents per year with a robust training program launching residents into fellowship and academic careers or successful independent practices. She has served on several leadership committees within the medical school and healthcare system and was elected Chair of the Credentials Committee and President of the Medical Staff at the Medical College of Georgia. Dr. Terris became Chair of the Division of Urology and invested as the Witherington Distinguished Professor and Chair of Urology in 2011. Advancements in research, training, and patient care, lead by Dr. Terris, resulted in the Division of Urology being promoted to Department of Urology in 2023.
She has served as a member of the Urology Residency Review Committee of the ACGME as well as Trustee of the American Board of Urology and president of the Society of University Urologists and the Society of Urology Chairs and Program Directors. She has also served on numerous committees of the Georgia Urological Association, the Southeastern Section of the AUA, and the American Urological Association. Dr. Terris’ recent honors include being named Best Doctors in America and Top Doctors in cancer repeatedly, Urology Practice reviewer of the Year, the American Urological Association Distinguished Service Award, and is currently president-elect of the Georgia Urological Association.

Education

  • MD, Medicine University of Mississippi, 1986

  • BS, Biology/Biological Sciences, General Mississippi State University, 1982

Certifications

  • PHY GA Board of Medical Examiners, 2003

  • Urology American Board of Urology, 1997

  • PHY GA Board of Medical Examiners, 2003

Awards & Honors

  • Best Reviewer Urology Practice, 2023

  • Best Reviewer Urology Practice, 2022

  • American Urological Association’s 2022 Distinguished Service Award AUA, 2022

  • AUA Research Award AUA, 2022

  • Top Doc Award 2022

Courses Taught Most Recent Academic Year

  • RURO 5000

    Urology
  • SURG 5350

    Urology Externship
  • SURG 5000

    Basic Clkshp in SURG
  • SURG 5007

    Surgery Sub-I: Surgery Sub-I Urology

Teaching Interests

Prostate Cancer, Kidney Cancer and Bladder Cancer, Urologic Education, Social Media

Scholarship

Selected Recent Publications

  • Validation of the prostate cancer comorbidity index in predicting cause-specific mortality in men undergoing radical prostatectomy, 2022
    Journal Article, Academic Journal
  • Red Blood Cell Distribution Width Is Associated with All-cause Mortality but Not Adverse Cancer-specific Outcomes in Men with Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer Treated with Radical Prostatectomy: Findings Based on a Multicenter Shared Equal Access Regional Cancer Hospital Registry., 2022
    Journal Article, Academic Journal
  • Oncocytoma-Related Gene Signature to Differentiate Chromophobe Renal Cancer and Oncocytoma Using Machine Learning, 2022
    Journal Article, Academic Journal
  • Pathologic upgrading in favorable intermediate risk active surveillance patients: Clinical heterogeneity and implications for active surveillance decision, 2021
    Journal Article, Academic Journal
  • Pudendal nerve block prior to inflatable penile prosthesis implantation: decreased intra-operative narcotic requirements, 2021
    Journal Article, Academic Journal

Research Interests

Prostate Cancer, Bladder Cancer

Department Service

  • MAS 2016 - 2022

    Role: Committee Member
  • Rinker Urological Meeting 2008 - 2017

    Role: Other
  • Mentor undergrad students 2015 - 2016

    Role: Mentor

College Service

  • MCG Physician Informaticists Committee 2018 - Present

    Role: Committee Member

Professional Service

  • Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2013 - Present

    Role: Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer
  • Prostate Cancer Prostate Diseases 2013 - Present

    Role: Editorial Review Board Member
  • Journal of Surgical Oncology 2010 - Present

    Role: Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer
  • Canadian Journal of Urology 2008 - Present

    Role: Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer
  • Urology 2002 - Present

    Role: Editorial Review Board Member