Don Hayes, Jr., MD, MS, MEd, MBA
- Medical Director, Lung Transplant Program
- Pulmonologist, Division of Pulmonary Medicine
- Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
- don.hayes@cchmc.org
- 859-396-8287
- Board Certified
About
Biography
Lung disease in children and young adults presents a unique challenge in diagnosis and treatment. My own experiences with childhood asthma and my early clinical experiences as a medical student sparked my interest in helping young people suffering from respiratory diseases. We can always improve the care of those with lung disease, and I am passionate about finding how to do that through research.
As the medical director of the Lung Transplant Program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, I specialize in treating patients affected by advanced lung disease, end-stage lung failure, pulmonary vascular disorders and cystic fibrosis. I care for children and young adults before and after lung transplant.
My research currently focuses on the role of the immune system in the lungs and how it contributes to the progression of lung disease and affects lung allografts in patients who have undergone a lung transplant. Some of my work also includes trying to identify biomarkers to help diagnose lung diseases and pulmonary vascular disorders earlier so we can start therapies sooner.
I serve on three editorial boards and am also a member of numerous national organizations that focus on lung diseases. To date, I have published over 500 peer-reviewed articles, abstracts and book chapters. I have also delivered more than 130 presentations about lung disease in the United States and around the world.
I am dedicated to delivering the highest quality healthcare with a humanistic approach. My induction into the Gold Humanism Honor Society was a particularly special moment in my clinical career.
MD: University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 1998.
Residency: Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, NC, 2002.
Fellowship: Combined Pediatric Pulmonology and Adult Pulmonary Disease, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, 2006.
Certification: Pediatrics; Pediatric Pulmonology; Internal Medicine; Adult Pulmonary Disease.
Interests
Advanced lung disease; cystic fibrosis; lung transplantation; pulmonary vascular disease
Services and Specialties
Interests
Lung immunology; pulmonary infections; biomarker development
Research Areas
Publications
International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Consensus Statement on the Referral and Selection of Pediatric Lung Transplant Candidates. The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation. 2025; 44(12):e133-e176.
International experience of donation after circulatory death for lung transplantation. A special report from the International Thoracic Organ Transplant Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation. 2025; 44(9):1375-1383.
Treatment of Nicotine Use in Adolescents Under 18 Years of Age: An Official American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guideline. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2025; 211(9):1584-1599.
Clinical Practice Guidelines: Quality, Breadth, and Currency. Annals of the American Thoracic Society. 2025; 22(9):1287-1291.
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Bridge to Pediatric Lung Transplantation. Annals of the American Thoracic Society. 2025; 22(5):801-804.
Interventional Strategies for Children with Progressive Pulmonary Hypertension Despite Optimal Therapy: An Official American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guideline. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2025; 211(2):157-173.
A Global Experience of Donation after Circulatory Death for Pediatric Lung Transplantation. Annals of the American Thoracic Society. 2025; 22(1):112-120.
Expanding the Donor Pool: Sequential Double Lung then Heart Transplant Using Ex-Vivo Normothermic Perfusion. The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation. 2024; 43(12):2046-2047.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation bridge to pediatric lung transplantation: Modern era analysis. Pediatric Transplantation. 2023; 27(6):e14570.
Body mass index percentage and survival in pediatric patients listed for lung transplantation: A modern-era multi-institutional analysis. The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation. 2023; 42(9):1242-1250.
From the Blog
Pediatric Lung Transplant Consensus Statement Published
Don Hayes, Jr., MD, MS, MEd, MBA10/8/2025
Can Lungs Donated After Circulatory Death Ease a Global Shortage for Children in Need?
Don Hayes, Jr., MD, MS, MEd, MBA, David L. S. Morales, MD3/24/2025
Is Your Hospital Prepared to Treat Vaping-Related Lung Injuries?
Don Hayes, Jr., MD, MS, MEd, MBA4/4/2022
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