Awori J. Hayanga, MD, MPH (Chair)
jhayanga@me.com

Awori J. Hayanga, MD, MPH is a cardiothoracic surgeon training in the United States. Born and raised in Kenya, he left Africa to pursue a medical education. After medical school in Europe, he moved to the United States to begin surgical training at the Johns Hopkins University Hospital before transferring to the University of Michigan and University of Washington for further surgical and specialty training. Acutely concerned by the relative isolation facing Kenyan surgery residents regarding access to and use of the evidence-base, he is committed to an earnest attempt at bridging the technological and practice divide using the world's most valuable resource - people. In this case, academic professionals from both sides who are willing to network and practice together, and in so doing, perpetuate the very essence of a global academic teaching institution without prejudice or restriction. Dr Hayanga's concern for environmental issues finds an outlet as he remains an active member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Environmental Studies. In 2007, Dr Hayanga was awarded the Alfred Sommer Fellowship by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for a Master of Public Health with a focus on Health Policy. He was named a World Health Organization/World Alliance Patient Safety Scholar, was the recipient of the 2007 American College of Surgeons Resident Leadership award , the 2008 American Medical Association Leadership award and the 2009 American College of Surgeons Humanitarian award. Dr Hayanga served as a Health and Human Services (HHS) Fellow as Senior Medical Advisor to the Deputy Secretary in Washington, DC and is currently a board member of the National Resident Match Program (NRMP).