Maxine Hayes, MD, MPH, is the State Health Officer for the Washington State Department of Health.  As the state’s top public health doctor, her role includes advising the governor and the secretary of health on issues ranging from health promotion and chronic disease prevention, to emergency response, including pandemic influenza preparedness.  She also works closely with the medical community, local health departments and community groups.

Prior to her appointment as Health Officer, Dr. Hayes was the Assistant Secretary of Community and Family Health.  Dr. Hayes is clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington, School of Medicine, and on the MCH faculty of the School of Public Health.

Dr. Hayes was the 1999 Distinguished Alumna of the Year for the State University of New York School of Medicine at Buffalo and the Year 2000 recipient of the Stockton Kimball Award.  In 2000 she was presented an honorary Doctorate of Science by former Acting Surgeon General and President of Spelman College, Dr. Audrey Manley. 

She is the recipient of many awards and honors for her work in maternal and child health, including the American Medical Association’s 2002 Dr. Nathan Davis Award and the 2003 Heroes in Health Care Lifetime Achievement Award through the Washington Health Foundation.