Keynote Speaker
Sharonne N. Hayes, M.D., FAHA, FACC
Director, Mayo Clinic Women's Heart Clinic
Dr. Sharonne N. Hayes is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Diseases and founded and directs the Women’s Heart Clinic at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN in 1998, one of the first in the nation.
Dr. Hayes’ professional and volunteer activities have focused upon working on behalf of women with heart disease. These efforts have included helping develop the NHLBI’s Heart Truth (“Red Dress”) campaign, being a spokesperson for AHA’s Go Red Campaign, and co-producing the Emmy-nominated PBS show; Call to Action: Women and Heart Disease. Dr. Hayes serves on the Board of Directors for WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease. With WomenHeart, Dr. Hayes 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. In February 2004, she was invited by First Lady Laura Bush to speak at the White House for the kick-off of Heart Month, and in 2009 was awarded the Women’s Day Magazine “Red Dress Award” for her work to improve women’s heart health. She is past-president of American Heart Association's, Olmsted Division and has served on numerous AHA committees at the national level. She helped develop the Second International Conference on Women, Heart Disease and Stroke and American Heart Association's Evidence-based Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women.
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 in Rochester, joining the Mayo staff in 1990. Dr. Hayes maintains an active medical practice and is a nationally recognized educator and speaker on women’s cardiovascular issues, preventive cardiology, and echocardiography. Her research interests focus on cardiovascular conditions in women and sex and gender differences and disparities in cardiology.
Dr. Hayes is well-acquainted with the unique challenges women face when it comes to their cardiac health, as well as the sobering reality that even though awareness among women is increasing, a woman is still more likely to die or be permanently disabled from her first heart attack than a man. She has appeared on numerous national television news programs and morning shows, delivering the latest information related to heart disease prevention, screening and treatment. Audiences connect with her warmth, as well as her candid stories about how she, as a busy professional, wife, and mom, approaches her own heart health. A vegetarian, Dr. Hayes is an enthusiastic cook who tends to create her own heart-healthy recipes. She is particularly fond of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Asian and Italian cuisines, all of which are primarily plant-based.
