Ericka V. Hayes, MD

When Ericka V. Hayes, MD ’98, came to Washington University as an undergraduate, she felt as though she had finally found a community of like-minded people. That sense of belonging continued when she entered Washington University School of Medicine, where a close-knit cohort of classmates and outstanding mentorship from attendings and residents were catalysts for her success.

It was people — stellar clinicians and researchers Hayes knew from her medical school days — that brought her back to WashU. She returned for a fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases after she completed a pediatrics residency at the University of California, San Francisco. She subsequently joined the faculty in 2006 and became an associate professor of pediatrics and medical director of infection prevention and of the pediatric HIV program at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

Though Hayes recently moved on to a position as professor of clinical pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania and senior medical director of infection prevention and control at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, she remains tethered to her alma mater through her leadership of the Washington University Medical Center Alumni Association (WUMCAA). She began a one-year term as president of the organization’s executive council in July, when she took the reins from previous president Susan H. Yang, MD ’97, HS ’01. In this role, Hayes focuses on fostering connections among former students, residents and fellows. The position is a perfect fit for an alumna who deeply values the relationships she cultivated at the medical center over the years.

Read more about WUSM alum Ericka V. Hayes, MD ’98!