
Year James Spence Medal awarded: 2014
Professor Hughes was the Foundation Professor and Head of Department of Paediatrics in Cambridge for 23 years and is now Emeritus Professor. During Professor Hughes’ tenure, the Department contributed extensively to the success of the University and its Clinical School in the RAEs and being a central component of the Biomedical Research Centre major grant renewal in 2013.
His contribution to paediatric endocrinology has been extensive. This is recorded in his bibliography of more than 230 original papers, and numerous book chapters. In the UK, he established and chaired the Clinical Committee of the British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes which provides official advice to the RCPCH and other professional bodies. Professor Hughes has a long-standing interest in disorders of sex development (DSD) and established one of the largest and comprehensive databases of cases of DSD. Amongst his many achievements, he coordinated the Consensus on DSD management which, barely eight years after its publication, is now already accepted worldwide as the framework to care for patients and families with DSD. In summary, throughout his career, Professor Hughes has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement and clarification of paediatric knowledge in the UK as well as internationally. In addition, he has been an excellent ambassador for the profession of paediatrics and is thoroughly deserving of the James Spence Medal.