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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE LIFE AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF EDWARD F.X. HUGHES, MD, MPH
WHEREAS, Edward Francis Xavier Hughes, faculty member at Northwestern University and health policy thought leader, passed away on January 23, 2022; and
WHEREAS, Ed was born in 1942 in Boston to Joseph and Elizabeth Hughes, both teachers in the Boston Public School system. Ed attended Boston Latin School where he excelled academically, participated on the crew team, and graduated early at the age of sixteen. He completed his undergraduate work at Amherst where, in addition to taking he majored in philosophy while taking premed classes, serving as coxswain on their crew team, and organizing the Amherst Students for the Abolition of the House Committee on Un-American Activities. He was admitted to Harvard Medical School in 1962; and
WHEREAS, following medical school, Ed trained in General Surgery at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. As his surgical training progressed, he became interested in larger issues concerning health policy and health equity and shifted his focus to pursue a Master’s Degree in Public Health at Columbia University. His research at Columbia led to a collaboration with Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York and the National Bureau of Economic Research. This resulted in several groundbreaking publications evaluating the efficient utilization of surgeons relative to the need for increased surgical manpower in the United States, a major driver of healthcare costs; and
WHEREAS, in 1977, Ed accepted a tenured faculty position at Northwestern University, where he assumed the Directorship of the Center for Health Services and Policy Research. Under his leadership, the Center became a leading site for interdisciplinary research into national health policy and future directions for healthcare reform in the United States. Through his work and published research at Northwestern, Dr. Hughes became a key thought leader in the development of “managed care,” a then novel approach to the delivery of health care that has transformed the delivery of care in the US in the pursuit of better outcomes at lower cost. Dr. Hughes has been a frequent public speaker on health policy, a consultant to a diverse array of health care organizations including Novo Nordisk, the American Orthopaedic Association, and the American Health Insurers and an advisor to policymakers; and
WHEREAS, he transitioned in the mid-1980s to assume greater teaching responsibilities at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern, where he held the distinction of being the first M.D. to receive tenure at a leading business school. Dr. Hughes created the joint M.D./M.B.A. program at Northwestern, and taught graduate courses on health services administration, biopharmaceutical and medical device strategy, and leadership at the business school. One of his great professional joys was serving as mentor and coach to many students over the years, often remaining in touch as they progressed in their careers following graduation. He served as President of the Northwestern Faculty Senate in 2015, and remained actively engaged with University leadership for many years, becoming a trusted advisor to University president, Morton Shapiro; and
WHEREAS, Ed’s life and interests have been divided between his work in Illinois and his philanthropic efforts in West Falmouth, Cape Cod, Massachusetts where he spent summers during his childhood and where he met his wife, Susan Lane (Mooney) Hughes, PhD, a nationally recognized gerontologist, professor, and Center Director at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Driven by mutual cherished memories of their summers on Cape Cod, they purchased a home in West Falmouth in 1971 adjacent to the historic Saconesset Homestead. In the spring of 1994, Ed and Sue purchased the Saconesset Homestead. The Homestead is a single home and working farm built by Thomas Bowerman in 1678, and is considered the oldest residence in Falmouth. This property includes over a dozen acres of the Great Sippiwissett Marsh and Buzzards Bay shoreline; and
WHEREAS, with the help of their children, the Hughes’s embarked on several endeavors in agriculture at the Homestead. To maintain its tradition as a working farm, Ed oversaw the cultivation of new vegetable gardens and Christmas tree seedlings that are now maturing and sold each Christmas. He also committed himself to the broader restoration of the property. Over the past 25 years, the family removed invasive weeds and vines to restore pastures to their original contours. This exhaustive work - one of the great prides of his life - resulted in the restoration of a sanctuary that preserves the past within one of the most special and beautiful corners of the Cape; and
WHEREAS, through their ownership of the land, Ed and Sue provided access to the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) and UMass Dartmouth enabling them to analyze the threat of climate change and rising sea levels to the sheltered habitat of diverse marine life within the Great Sippewisset Marsh. Their research on the changes in the marsh, which was begun in the 1970s, is now the longest continuous marine biology study of its kind in the country, serving as a key reference for policy proposals on coastal preservation. In addition, Ed and Sue have been strong supporters of conservation groups such as the Coalition to Save Buzzards Bay and several restoration efforts including the Falmouth Library and Highfield Hall; and
WHEREAS, Ed is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Susan Lane (Mooney) Hughes, of West Falmouth, Massachusetts and Evanston, Illinois; his sons, Edward Francis Hughes IV of New York, New York, John Patrick Hughes of Arlington, Virginia, his daughter Dempsey Lane Hughes, MD of Evanston, IL, his daughter-in-law Kristen Welker of Arlington, Virginia and his granddaughter Margot Lane Welker Hughes of Arlington, Virginia. He is also survived by a sister, Elizabeth “Betty” Craig, of North Falmouth, Massachusetts, a brother Paul J.L. Hughes of Sparta, NJ, and a sister-in-law Martha M. Mooney of Belmont, MA, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Commissioners of Cook County, on behalf of the 5.2 million residents of Cook County, honors the life, work, and contributions of Edward F.X. Hughes, and herewith expresses its sincere gratitude for the invaluable contributions he made to the Citizens of Cook County, Illinois; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this Resolution be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body and that an official copy of same be tendered to the family of the Edward F.X. Hughes.
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