We are incredibly excited and proud to announce that Dr. Andrea Hayes (formerly Hayes-Jordan), Professor and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Surgery and Surgeon-in-Chief of the UNC Children’s Hospital has accepted the position of Chair of the Department of Surgery at Howard University College of Medicine. This is an outstanding accomplishment for Dr. Hayes as she steps forward to lead such a storied program whose history began in 1868.
Dr. Hayes was the first African American female pediatric surgeon board-certified in the United States and is an internationally recognized leader in pediatric surgical oncology. She was the first surgeon to perform cytoreductive surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) in a pediatric patient.
With more than 15 years of experience, Dr. Hayes specializes in treating desmoplastic small round cell tumors (DSRCT), a rare sarcoma, which spreads throughout the abdominal and chest cavity. Dr. Hayes has treated patients from across the globe and traveled extensively in the U.S. and abroad, teaching the operation to other surgeons.
When Dr. Andrea Hayes joined UNC, she helped our department and the institution in numerous ways including starting our pediatric HIPEC program, recruiting an outstanding team of pediatric surgeons, and leading the surgical enterprise of the Children’s Hospital with vision and maturity.
We will certainly miss her presence throughout the department, but we couldn’t be more excited about the path ahead for her.
“My transition to chair of Howard is bittersweet,” says Dr. Hayes. “I will truly miss the wonderful people here at UNC. I have made some good friends and enjoyed the NC climate. And, leading a historic surgery department such as Howard University, is an incredible opportunity I look forward to.”