Strategic Network Annual Meeting 2024 - Programming

Dr. Sharonne N. Hayes is Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and founded and maintains an active clinical practice in the Women’s Heart Clinic at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN where she also serves as serves as Vice Chair, Academic Affairs and Faculty Development, for the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine. Dr. Hayes has long advocated for the advancement of women’s health and sex-based medicine within the field of cardiology and many other areas that affect women’s health and well-being. Dr. Hayes served as Mayo Clinic’s first Director of Diversity and Inclusion from 2010 through 2020 and with leadership set strategy for D&I activities across Mayo Clinic and developed solutions for equity in patient care and the workforce. Under her leadership, Mayo Clinic was nationally recognized for its D&I accomplishments. She has led efforts to optimize women’s health clinical practice and research activities at Mayo Clinic and developed programs to enhance the professional and personal development and mentorship of women and minority physicians in order to promote a more diverse healthcare workforce. In 2017 she was recognized by the AHA with the Women in Cardiology Mentoring Award. She is a tireless advocate for safe, equitable, and dignified healthcare workplaces that promote high-quality patient care and has developed programs to assess and mitigate unconscious bias in healthcare.

Dr. Hayes is a member of numerous national initiatives and groups involved in education, strategic planning, and program development for improvement of health care and reduction of health disparities including the NHLBI’s Heart Truth (“Red Dress”) campaign. She served on the Board of Directors for WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease and coordinates the organization’s Science and Leadership Symposium for Women with Heart Disease, held annually at Mayo Clinic, aimed at preparing heart disease survivors to be advocates and educators for other women. Her commitment to women’s heart health has been recognized by the 2002 Wenger Award, an invitation from First Lady Laura Bush to speak at the White House for the 1st National Wear Red Day in 2004, the Woman’s Day Magazine “Red Dress Award” in 2009 and the 2022 Dr. Carolyn McCue Award for Woman Cardiologist of the Year. Dr. Hayes research interests include sex and gender-based cardiology, cardiovascular conditions primarily affecting women, spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), fibromuscular dysplasia, pericardial diseases, health equity, participation of women and minorities in medical research, healthcare workforce equity, and the utility and optimal role of social media in clinical practice, medical research, and health education.

Dr. Hayes is a nationally recognized educator and speaker on diversity, women’s health and cardiovascular issues and has developed numerous medical educational programs on women’s health and health equity topics for both medical professionals and the public. In 2004, Dr. Hayes co-produced the Emmy-nominated PBS show, “Call to Action: Women and Heart Disease”. She has been a guest on the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, and Talk of the Nation, among others, and has also done live medical reporting for a local ABC affiliate.

Dr. Hayes received her medical degree from Northwestern University in Chicago and pursued fellowships in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Research, and Cardiovascular Diseases at Mayo Clinic Rochester, joining the faculty at Mayo Clinic. She is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, and member of the Association of Black Cardiologists and has served in many volunteer leadership roles at the local, regional, and national level for these organizations.