Dr. Ronda Hughes Named Associate Director at Center 4 Health Research

Ronda Hughes

Ronda Hughes, PhD, MHS, RN, FAAN, joins the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria as the Associate Director of the Implementation Science & Outcome Research Division at the Center 4 Health Research. In this role, Dr. Hughes will oversee the design, development and execution of strategies that translate research findings into practical, real-world settings. Her role also includes fostering a collaborative research environment within UICOMP by mentoring faculty and staff, developing training programs, and securing funding for new projects.

Dr. Hughes’s career spans academia, administration, national policy, and research. Before joining UICOMP, she served as the Executive Quality and Research Consultant at Hughes Consulting in Chicago. Other career positions include Director of the Nursing Informatics Program and Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina as well as Associate Professor at Marquette University in Milwaukee. Her work in academia was prefaced with nearly two decades of service with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, Dr. Hughes earned her Ph.D. in Health Policy and Health Services Research from Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. She also holds a master’s degree in health science with a focus on Health Policy and Management and a minor in Biomedical Ethics from Johns Hopkins, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Boston University.

With over 20 years of experience in healthcare quality and safety, Dr. Hughes has worked to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, and equity of healthcare delivery and outcomes. She has provided consulting services to healthcare organizations, legal firms, and insurers, leveraging her expertise in electronic health records (EHR), data analysis, and public health to develop and implement evidence-based solutions and best practices. Additionally, Dr. Hughes has mentored doctoral students in healthcare administration and worked as a Senior Health Informatics and Software Engineering Consultant.