ACS Regent Dr. Andrea Hayes Dixon Pioneers New Role

Howard University in Washington, DC, last week announced that pediatric surgeon and surgical oncologist Andrea A. Hayes Dixon, MD, FACS, FAAP, will become the dean of its College of Medicine. Dr. Hayes Dixon, an ACS Regent since 2021, will be the first woman to hold the position at the institution.

Currently professor and chair of the Department of Surgery at Howard University College of Medicine and Howard University Hospital, Dr. Hayes Dixon will start in her new role on Monday, October 3.

The announcement was made by Wayne A. I. Frederick, MD, MBA, FACS.

“I am overjoyed to have the honor of announcing that for the first time in the college’s 154-year history, a Black woman will serve as the dean of the Howard University College of Medicine,” said Dr. Frederick in the Howard news release. “If you look at the data on women’s leadership in medicine, it shows there is still much progress to be made. With the appointment of Dr. Hayes Dixon, Howard University not only gains an incredible leader, but we move the University and the field of medicine forward.”

Dr. Hayes Dixon is no stranger to historic firsts. She was the first Black woman pediatric surgeon board-certified in the US and was the first surgeon to perform cytoreductive surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy in a pediatric patient.

A Fellow of the College since 2008, Dr. Hayes has served on the Nominating Committee of the Board of Governors and has been an ACS Governor, serving on the B/G Committee on Socioeconomic Issues, B/G Grassroots Advocacy Engagement Workgroup, and B/G Diversity Pillar. She also served on the Committee on Diversity and the Young Surgeons Committee. She presented the 2021 Olga M. Jonasson Lecture at Clinical Congress, “Grit in Spite of Adversity in the Pursuit of Excellence,” an adapted transcript of which is available to read online.