Erica Hahn

Erica Hahn
Grey's Anatomy character
Brooke Smith as Dr. Erica Hahn
First appearance	"17 Seconds" 2x25, May 14, 2006 (as recurring cast) "Haunt You Everyday" 4x05, October 25, 2007 (as main cast)
Last appearance	"Rise Up" 5x07, November 6, 2008
Created by	Shonda Rhimes
Portrayed by	Brooke Smith
Information
Occupation	Attending cardiothoracic surgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital attending Cardiothoracic surgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital
Title	M.D. F.A.C.S
Significant other(s)	Callie Torres

Attending cardiothoracic surgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital

Erica Hahn, M.D. is a fictional character from the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy, portrayed by actress Brooke Smith. Hahn was a recurring character through the show's second and third seasons, and joined the main cast in the fourth season. Prior to assuming the role, Smith observed heart surgery being performed, and admitted to finding stressful the pressure of continually portraying a medical professional realistically.

The character is presented as highly professional, to the point of being a "workaholic". She is notably hard on Resident Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), admitting that Cristina reminds her of herself as a student. Despite her intentions to keep away from relationships, she becomes romantically involved with orthopedic surgeon Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez). The storyline was praised for its realistic portrayal of a developing same-sex relationship between two women, although consultants from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation expressed some concerns over what they deemed the somewhat exploitative talk of a threesome between Hahn, Torres and Mark Sloan. Hahn was written out of Grey's Anatomy in November 2008, with Smith commenting that the decision originated with the ABC network rather than with series creator Shonda Rhimes.

Upon her first appearance in the series it is established that Hahn is a long-time rival of main character and fellow cardiothoracic surgeon Preston Burke, dating back to their days at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she graduated second after Burke. She is introduced as a cardiothoracic attending surgeon at Seattle Presbyterian Hospital when she and Burke fight over a donor heart. Hahn reappears in season three when she is contacted by George O'Malley (T.R. Knight) for a consult on his father's valve replacement after George finds out about Burke's hand tremors and Cristina helping him cover it up. Hahn transfers to Seattle Grace Hospital in the season four episode, "Haunt You Everyday", after performing a successful heart transplant at the request of the Chief of Surgery, Richard Webber. She takes on the role previously held by Burke, Seattle Grace's Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery. Hahn cultivates an antagonistic relationship with Burke's former protégée Cristina Yang, refusing to let her scrub in on surgeries, and constantly criticizing her overly enthusiastic behavior. She later confesses to Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) that she is purposely hard on Cristina, as she reminds her of herself as a Resident.