Executive Leadership
Ezgi Tiryaki, MD, FAAN, ACC
Acting Chief Academic Affiliations Officer
Ezgi Tiryaki, MD, FAAN, ACC, is the Acting Chief Academic Affiliations Officer for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), where she manages the operations of the largest health professions education program in the United States.
Previously, Dr. Tiryaki served as the Associate Chief of Staff for Education for the Minneapolis VA Health Care System (VAHCS), and as the Network Academic Affiliations Officer for VISN 23.
Read Ezgi Tiryaki’s full biography
Dr. Tiryaki joined VA in 2014 due to her interest in health systems leadership within an integrated healthcare system and her desire to actively shape the clinical learning environment and promote interprofessional health professions education. She has been a teacher and mentor across the entire continuum of medical education, from medical students to mid-career faculty. She has proven experience in designing, implementing, and managing education and leadership development programs at all levels of academic medicine. She is board-certified in Neurology, Neuromuscular Medicine and Palliative Care & Hospice Medicine and specializes in the team-based, interdisciplinary care of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a disease that is twice as likely to occur in Veterans. She is a Professor of Neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical School, where she served as the neurology residency program director and a formal faculty adviser. Dr. Tiryaki was inducted into the University of Minnesota’s Academy of Distinguished Teachers in 2015.
Dr. Tiryaki graduated from Hannover Medical School with a Medical Doctorate (Dr. med). She completed her residency in internal medicine & neurology (combined program) and a fellowship in clinical electrophysiology at the Indiana University School of Medicine. She is an Associate Certified Coach and graduated from the leadership coaching program at Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership.
John M. Byrne, D.O., FACP
Senior Advisor
Dr. John Byrne, OAA’s Senior Advisor for the Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA), provides guidance on policy, regulatory and statutory issues. Prior to being named Acting Senior Advisor in 2023, Dr. Byrne served as the OAA Director of Medical and Dental Education since January 2021. Prior to 2021, Dr. Byrne served as the Designated Education Officer (DEO) at VA Loma Linda Healthcare System (LLVAHCS) for 22 years.
Read John Bryne’s full biography
John M. Byrne, D.O., FACP is the Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) Senior Advisor, provides guidance on policy, regulatory and statutory issues. Prior to being named Senior Advisor in 2023, Dr. Byrne served as the Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) Director of Medical and Dental Education beginning in January 2021. Prior to 2021, Dr. Byrne served as the Designated Education Officer at VA Loma Linda Healthcare System (VALLHCS) for 22 years.
A graduate of Des Moines University, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Byrne completed an internal medicine residency at Loma Linda University Health (LLUH) and was chief resident at the VALLHCS. He joined the VALLHCS staff where he worked as a general internist in the inpatient and outpatient settings. In 1995, Dr. Byrne became the General Internal Medicine Section Chief and served as the Acting Chief of Medical Service. He also served as the Associate Program Director of the LLUH Internal Medicine Residency.
In addition to his role as Associate Chief of Staff for Education/DEO, Dr. Byrne also served as the Network Academic Affiliations Officer for the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 22 and the VALLHCS Chief Health Informatics Officer. Dr. Byrne is board certified in internal medicine and informatics and is a Professor of Medicine at Loma Linda University School of Medicine.
During his tenure at OAA, Dr. Byrne has served on the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Council on Graduate Medical Education (COGME), the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) Group on Resident Affairs, and the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Council of Residency Review Committees. Dr. Byrne’s publications highlight scholarly interested in the clinical learning environment including trainee perceptions, supervision and psychological safety.