Eric Ayers, M.D., associate professor of Internal Medicine, and certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of Internal Medicine, has been named interim chair of the Wayne State University Department of Pediatrics.

Dr. Ayers, a 1989 graduate of the WSU School of Medicine, possesses a combination of pediatric expertise, proven leadership and deep commitment to Detroit’s children, School of Medicine Dean Wael Sakr, M.D., said.

He fills the position vacated by Herman Gray, M.D., M.B.A., who recently announced his plan to step down as chair effective March 7. Dr. Gray will serve as a special consultant to the dean until his retirement June 30.

Dr. Ayers joined the WSU faculty in 1993. He is the associate program director of the Med-Peds Program in the Department of Internal Medicine, and director of Mentoring, Engagement and Coaching in the Office of Student Affairs and Undergraduate Medical Education. From 1994 to 2022, he served as the Med-Peds Program director.

On the staff of Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit Receiving Hospital, Hutzel Hospital and the DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Dr. Ayers is a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, Alpha Omega Alpha, the Society of General Internal Medicine/American College of Physicians, the Association of Program Directors in Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Medical Association, the Detroit Medical Society and the Medicine and Pediatrics Program Association.

He has developed innovative pediatric curricula, including specialized tracks in adolescent medicine and transitional care, and created innovative pediatric elective rotations that have enhanced medical student education.

Dr. Ayers has long been a devoted mentor of medical students, and an advisor to the WSU chapter of the Black Medical Association/Student National Medical Association. He has been recognized  with an Outstanding Teacher Award from the School of Medicine. He has received numerous national and local recognitions for his commitment to teaching, humanism and community service, including the Pfizer Humanism in Medicine Award in 2004 and the Alfred Tow Award for Humanism in Medicine in 2006. The Wayne State University School of Medicine Alumni Association honored him with its Alumni of the Year Award in 2019.