Villiers Terblanche

Villiers Terblanche spent 30 years as a New York-qualified corporate law partner at a major U.S. law firm, focusing on infrastructure development and related regulatory reform.

The Terblanche family became aware of sepsis when their oldest son, Sam, a junior at Columbia University, died in late 2023, shortly after the emergency department of a major New York hospital overrode its electronic sepsis alert, diagnosed him for the second night in a row with “acute viral syndrome,” and discharged him.

Life changed for the Terblanche family when sepsis struck, and the New York-based family decided to be part of the fight against it.

Villiers went back to university to earn a Master of Science in Health Law and Strategy from New York University and start a second career in patient safety and advocacy. He also holds a Master of Law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and an LLD (PhD) from the University of Pretoria.