Your Trusted Local Doctor

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Dr. Cheryl Slaughter Hurst

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Author of Memoirs of an Adoptive Mother’s Meltdown: Motherhood, Mayhem & Mental Health

With over 30 years of impactful leadership in higher education, Dr. Cheryl Slaughter Hurst currently serves as Assistant Dean at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Her distinguished career includes Director-level roles at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Associated Medical Schools of New York, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. Across these institutions, she has championed educational equity—developing programs and student services for socioeconomically disadvantaged and underrepresented populations.

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Dr. Slaughter Hurst holds a Doctor of Education in Leadership and Organizational Development from Grand Canyon University, a Master of Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a Bachelor of Arts from Eastern Illinois University. A published scholar and frequent national presenter, she’s received numerous awards for her work in education, youth advocacy, and public health.

 

Her passion for supporting vulnerable youth is both professional and deeply personal. As a mother of eight—including children adopted through the foster care system—Dr. Slaughter Hurst has lived the very stories she shares in her debut book, Memoirs of an Adoptive Mother’s Meltdown: Motherhood, Mayhem & Mental Health. Based on true events, the book gives voice to the raw, intertwined journeys of four adoptive mothers navigating trauma, mental health, and resilience with their children. Told through the lens of a single mother, Sheila, and two symbolic daughters, Shay and Nay, the narrative is a powerful reminder that while the past may hold pain, the future holds promise.

 

Dr. Slaughter Hurst is also the co-founder of a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting youth aging out of foster care through mentorship and therapeutic writing. A portion

 of all book proceeds will fund scholarships for foster and adopted children entering college, trade school, or university in the U.S.

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She is a devoted wife, mother, and lifelong advocate for change—committed to helping others turn trauma into triumph.