West Virginia University
General Thoracic
Member Since: 2020
Biography:
Born in Kenya, educated in Ireland, Trained in the US.
Dr. Hayanga is a Professor in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the West Virginia University Medicine. He is the Director of the WVU Heart & Vascular Institute ECMO Program and Medical Director of Research. Board certified in Cardiothoracic Surgery, General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, he completed his surgical training at Johns Hopkins University and University of Michigan followed by cardiothoracic and transplant surgery training at the University of Washington and University of Pittsburgh respectively. He served as an Alfred Sommer Scholar during his MPH at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, as a 2008 World Health Organization (WHO) Patient Safety Scholar, a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Fellow and Senior Medical Adviser to the Deputy Secretary in Washington, D.C. He is a 2021 Johns Hopkins Leadership Fellow and holds a Masters degree in Healthcare Leadership (MHL) from Brown University and certificate in Artificial Intelligence and Business Strategy from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is an expert Health Policy panelist with RAND Corporation, elected member of American Association of Thoracic Surgery (AATS) and editorial board member for Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Journal of Heart & Lung Transplantation and LUNG and expert reviewer for numerous journals including Nature and JAMA. He is a grant-funded researcher and has authored over 200 peer-reviewed papers. His clinical work and research focus on ECMO, transplantation and application of data analytics in prevention, diagnosis, and mitigation of end-stage pulmonary disease. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Royal College of Surgeons, and the American College of Chest Physicians. He was invited to write the guidelines for the use of ECMO in patients with severe COVID-19 disease in JTCVS.
What Does the AATS Mean to You:
A network of cardiothoracic surgeons united under an academic banner and collective commitment to excellence.
My First Experience with AATS:
I had an abstract accepted as a trainee to present an oral abstract in 2014 in Toronto but I had to write to request presenter change because I could not get a visa in time. My attending went in my stead.
Why I became an AATS member:
To join an association of great repute and standing.
The most impactful presentation I have seen at an AATS meeting:
The presidential addresses are always momentous, impactful and full of inspiration.
The first presentation I gave is:
ECMO as a bridge to lung transplantation.
The first paper I had published is:
Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureas in the Nairobi Hospital
I plan on becoming more involved in the organization through:
By spreading awareness about AATS to trainees to encourage junior faculty and a diverse membership.
Advice for Trainees:
Find a niche and develop a means of contribution to the health and well-being of patients in a way that is unique to your specific strengths and background, then use it to guide your vision, to help the community and to safe guard your career and existence."
My career in CT Surgery was inspired by:
The several attendings and mentors that demonstrated in their words and deeds all those things to which we all aspire.
A significant case/patient interaction that impacted my career is:
The early days of the COVID pandemic when the line that between work, life and mortality often became so fine that it was often blurred in a way that tested our resolve, ability, and commitment.
The biggest impact my mentor had on my career is:
The provision of a means to navigate a career by balancing our strengths and vision.
The topic most important to advancing the field of CT Surgery is:
Artificial Intelligence and how system autonomy can interface with the surgical landscape.
The most pressing issues impacting CT surgery are:
The ability to recruit surgeons of diverse backgrounds.
Advice for Trainees:
Find a niche and develop a means of contribution to the health and well being of patients in a way that is unique to your specific strengths and background, then use it to guide your vision, to help the community and to safe-guard your career and existence.