7 questions with the passionate and seasoned surgical leader

Dr. Jeffrey Haynes is a familiar face at CHoR. He completed his medical school and residency here and has been on the faculty, making lives better for kids and families in Richmond, for nearly thirty years as a skilled pediatric surgeon. He’s also served as director of our Children’s Trauma Center for many years. Over the summer, Dr. Haynes was named chief of the Division of Pediatric Surgery and the Arnold M. Salzberg Professor of Surgery, a role named after a pioneer in pediatric surgery who served as a mentor to many.

As our pediatric surgical team continues to grow – now with nine surgeons covering the breadth of pediatric general and thoracic surgery – Dr. Haynes shares what these roles mean to him and his goals for ensuring continued outstanding surgical care for kids at CHoR.

Why did you choose to specialize in pediatric surgery?

During my fourth year of medical school I was involved with the surgical research labs here and became a perfusionist for our neonatal ECMO team (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a life-sustaining treatment that takes over for the heart and lungs when they’re too sick to function on their own). From there, I learned what else pediatric surgeons did when rounds occurred on babies on ECMO and I was hooked.

What are your passions when it comes to surgical care of kids?

It is easy to be passionate about the surgical care of children as it is a huge privilege, acknowledged by every pediatric surgeon. When you pair that with a love of children, it becomes very easy to focus on making them better for a lifetime.

How long have you been at CHoR and what roles have you held during this time?

After joining the faculty here in 1996, I spent considerable time growing the community portion of our practice. When the time came to further develop our pediatric trauma program, I was happy to take that on given the rich history of trauma care here at MCV/VCU.

Most recently, you were named chief of the Division of Pediatric Surgery. Why was this the right role for you and what are your goals?

The chairmanship is a singular honor and privilege that has come my way. I am grateful to take this role on to further the footprint of our division by supporting all my terrific partners who collectively are responsible for the cutting-edge surgical care we give to our pediatric patients. I hope that over the next five years we can continue to grow our practice through outreach and education, increase our research output and, if a number of things align, start a training fellowship in pediatric surgery.

Why is CHoR’s Level I Children’s Surgery Center verification so important? What does it mean for families?

It is very important for our families to realize that achieving this degree of external verification is assurance that we have the optimal resources in place for the surgical care of their children. These resources are quite broad and involve an impressive number of very talented people on the team. And CHoR's investment in these resources extends to our Children's Trauma Center, our Level I Pediatric Trauma Center.

What do you think/hope kids would say about having you as their doctor?

I would hope they and their families would say that our interactions are characterized by two things that are often very challenging during a busy day: careful listening and patience.

Anything else you’d share?

All of us in the division of pediatric surgery are grateful for the long-time leadership of Dr. Charles Bagwell over 30 plus years. Such a steady hand and path to follow.

The Salzberg Professorship is a lifetime honor. I am not sure many people know that I knew Dr. Salzberg quite well. He first took me into an operating room when I was a curious high school student and subsequently mentored me here as a surgical resident, then helped me match into a pediatric surgery fellowship. Upon my return as a new faculty member, I was able to be with and learn from him for a brief time before he passed on. So many lessons learned along the way. To hold his professorship is indeed a bit humbling but at the same time inspiring.

Learn more about surgical care at CHoR.