U.S. Army Soldier is passionate about Public Health

Story by Michelle Thum

Public Health Command Europe

Landstuhl, Germany – Public Health Command Europe soldier always wanted to be a physical therapist but life took a turn and she decided to join the U.S. Army while getting her master’s degree in her late twenties.

“I always had in my mind that I wanted to pursue a career helping others ,” said Atlanta-native Lt. Maya Hayes. “While in High School, my brother needed physical therapy after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. After accompanying him to some of his appointments, I saw this as something I could do as a career.”

Hayes finished her Bachelor’s in Exercise Science and was en route to apply for physical therapy school but changed her perspective after working as a contractor with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“I was conducting health and fitness assessments and was exposed to all of the professions of public health and its variety,” said Hayes. “I was intrigued by the impact of the field of public health and started gathering information for a Master’s in Public Health as well as pursuing the ROTC program at the Georgia University.”

“I’ve been the first female in my family to join the Army,” said Hayes. “It was something that I always was interested in and when I learned more about the ROTC program, I decided to go back to school and join.”

Looking back at this period of her life, Hayes said it was “one of the busiest times” of her life.

“I was in ROTC, I worked and I went to school fulltime,” said Hayes. “But I knew that it would only be two years so I knew that I could do it.”

Hayes earned a Master’s degree in Public Health with a concentration in Environmental Health and commissioned in 2021 as a 70B Health Services Administrator.

“When I got to my first duty station in Germany, I had the opportunity to switch military occupational specialties to become an 72D Environmental Science/Engineering Officer. I was excited about the opportunity and how I could contribute to the Army’s public health and Force Health Protection mission.” said Hayes.

After a brief tour in Baumholder, Hayes moved to Landstuhl to be the Deputy Chief of Environmental Health Engineering at Public Health Command Europe.

In her role as the chief, she oversees all of the garrisons’ drinking water surveillance, monitoring and safety.

“We work closely together with the U.S. Army Installation Management Command- Europe to ensure the water provided for service members and their families on garrison installations across Europe meets the U.S. and host nation standard.” said Hayes.

To minimize the risk of contamination and prevent diseases, the water systems get tested regularly.

“The environmental health technicians sample the water, examine the water system and the water samples get tested in-house by PHCE’s laboratory sciences division or analyzed by contracted labs,” said Hayes. “You can see us as the middleman, we serve as a protective element to catch any sort of contamination before it gets to the service members and their families and makes them sick.”

Hayes stays motivated because of the impact of her work but also because she shows daily gratitude for the opportunities the Army has given to her.

“If I’m having a not so good day, I put it in perspective and be grateful for what I have,” said Hayes. “I enjoy the work I do and I have the chance to branch out and grow. The Army brings together people from all over and I get to meet and build relationships with them.”