Matthew John Hayes, MD, PhD, is a renowned American emergency physician. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Hayes is a US Army veteran who graduated from St. John's University. He completed his medical training at Heidelberg University in Germany, where he studied medicine in German despite barely speaking the language.
As a physician, he fell in love with the excitement of the emergency room and successfully pushed for reform of US emergency practices in the 1970s. He inaugurated and served as the first president of the Washington State chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Hayes makes his home in the mountains of North Carolina with his wife, Mary Beth. His correspondence with his nephew inspired him to share his life story with a wider audience, in the hope of teaching young people that the path to success is often best traveled while marching to the beat of one's own drum.
