Dr. Hughes earned her PhD in Health Psychology and MA in Clinical Psychology at the University of Texas at El Paso. She has years of experience working in academia, the nonprofit sector, and partnering with pharmaceutical companies to promote the voice of people with diabetes. She is very passionate about health policy and improving diabetes care. Her research in diabetes and behavioral medicine focuses on the psychosocial challenges of diabetes management and improving health equity. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1995.