About Hayri E. Sangiray, DO

I am Dr. Sangiray, licensed medical physician, and I would like to give you a bit of information about myself. I look forward to meeting you, getting to know you and, most of all, giving you first class, individual attention. Healing and making you comfortable and healthy are my main goals, and my staff and I will work hard to make sure all of your dermatologic needs are addressed and managed. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY My family was hardworking, and from an early age, I learned the importance of a solid work ethic and absolute honesty. I watched my mother take the subway an hour and a half each way to her job as a cleaning woman in the financial district of Manhattan and she instilled in me a fierce determination to succeed in all endeavors. I attended NY public schools, and worked evenings and weekends, often holding several jobs throughout high school. I loved academics and had a thirst for knowledge so I attended Brooklyn College, graduating cum laude. An aptitude for math and science, as well as a keen desire to help people, led me to consider pursuing a career as a doctor. I attended New York College of Osteopathic Medicine on Long Island, NY, ranking within the top 10% of my class. The U.S. Army offered me a scholarship, paying my medical school tuition and fees for four years, in exchange for my service to the United States military during and after my studies. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve my country. Upon completion of medical school, I was accepted to do a first year internship at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. I spent a year working in internal medicine and, while I enjoyed it, I realized I was drawn to the academic challenges of dermatology. After completing a yearlong hardship tour in Seoul, South Korea, where I was one of two Emergency Room doctors on staff at the 101st General Hospital at Youngsan Army Base (where I ranked in the top 1% of all General Medical Officers in the Army), I began my three-year residency program in dermatology in the joint program at Walter Reed Army Hospital, Bethesda Naval Hospital and National Institutes of Health. I knew I had found the perfect specialty in medicine because I could combine my love of academics with my desire to help and heal patients. While matriculating through the dermatology residency program, from 2000-2003, I earned numerous commendations, including the Army Achievement Award as General Medical Officer, Army Commendation as Senior Resident in Dermatology and Walter Reed Army Medical Service Award for Excellence in a Dermatology Residency. I graduated within the top 1% of dermatology residents in the Army. Having graduated from one of the top dermatology residency programs in the United States, and consistently scoring within the top 1% on the yearly board exams (top 5% in first year and top 1% in the second and third years), I am sponsored by the American Academy of Dermatology, which includes all MDs and DOs. In total, I was first board certified in 2003 after completing my residency program and board recertified after ten years, in March 2012, in which I attained a 100% in my recertification exam. After completing my dermatology residency in 2003, I was stationed as a full time dermatologist and Chief of Dermatology at the McDonald Army Hospital at Fort Eustis from 2003-2006, where I had the opportunity and honor of serving our military personnel and veterans including, but not limited to many veterans of WWII, Vietnam and Korean Wars, as well as recently returned veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. When I finished my military service, I transitioned to private practice, continuing to work as a dermatologist in the Tidewater area and Williamsburg from 2006-2008. My wife, sons and I relocated to Richmond in 2008, where I have continued to work as a dermatologist. The city and the people of Richmond won our hearts, and we decided to plant roots in this community, which has led me to open the Dermatology Center of Richmond. My wife is incredibly happy with our decision to make Richmond our home, as her ancestral roots run deep in Virginia. I treat all conditions related to skin, hair and nails, with special interest in and detailed expertise in the early detection of skin cancer and, in particular, malignant melanoma. Additionally, I provide treatment for acute rashes and chronic skin conditions such as severe psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, or “eczema.” Staying true to my passion for learning, I read prolifically literature related to dermatology and try to keep abreast of new techniques and treatments for the management and cure of skin related diseases and conditions.