College of Public Health Alum Uses Legal System to Advocate for Access to Vaccines
| Richard Hughes IV, J.D., MPH, seeks to improve the health of people throughout the nation.
A native Arkansan, Hughes strives to reach his goal through advocating for the access and use of approved vaccines.
“The way our health care system works regarding coverage for vaccines, the way we fund vaccines, the access to vaccines, there are a lot of issues,” he said. “There’s a lot of work to do to improve the situation.”
Hughes — an alum of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health — is an attorney/partner at Epstein, Becker, Green law office, based in Washington, D.C.
He uses the legal system and government policy to address shortcomings in relation to vaccines. Additionally, he’s a lecturer at the George Washington University Law School, where he teaches a public health course and a class on vaccines and preventative services law.
“I get to teach what I love,” Hughes said. “It’s gratifying as I train the next generation of legal minds to become public health professionals.”
Beyond being an attorney and educator, he also addresses inaccurate information about vaccines.
“I’m working with the media to educate the public about vaccines, vaccine science and to clarify any misinformation,” Hughes said. “When people believe the misinformation about vaccines, it can lead to people becoming vaccine hesitant. That’s a threat to public health.”
Hughes conducting vaccine advocacy from the nation’s capital is ideal, he added.
“I came to D.C. because I wanted to focus on making vaccines more accessible nationwide so we can better prevent the spread of diseases.”
Washington, D.C. is the antithesis of rural Arkansas where Hughes first noticed the inadequacies in health care.
Hughes is from the northeast Arkansas town of Manila. Upon graduating from Manila High School in 2001, Hughes went to Arkansas State University, where he earned a degree in business in 2004. Hughes later moved to Little Rock in 2005. He was eventually appointed by then-Gov. Mike Huckabee to the Arkansas State Board of Health.
During that time, he also overcame a brain tumor that was initially diagnosed as glioblastoma, which is an aggressive form of brain cancer. That situation, along with learning about numerous health policy concerns, increased Hughes’ passion for helping people in need.
“Arkansas has major health disparities,” he said. “Growing up in a rural area, once I moved away, it became apparent to me that public health has to be thought of differently in rural areas and that access to health care also has to be thought of differently in rural areas.”
While working to improve the health of Arkansans, Hughes crossed paths with Tom Bruce, M.D., the inaugural dean of the College of Public Health. The life-changing encounter led to Hughes enrolling in the college’s Health Policy and Management program in 2006.
“Going to the college was convenient, it was right where I lived,” Hughes said. “For me, it made a lot of sense to go to the College of Public Health.”
Hughes attained the Master of Public Health degree in 2008. By that time, he knew he wanted to work in the realm of vaccine policy.
He accepted an offer to work for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials in Washington, D.C., where he was tasked with working with states on public health issues. In the process, Hughes recognized that he needed more education.
“I realized I needed a law degree,” he said. “I always wanted to be a lawyer, and I felt it was time to finally go to law school — and I did.”
He enrolled in the George Washington University Law School, earning a Juris Doctorate in 2014.
Since then, serving as vice president of Moderna from 2020 to 2022, is among Hughes’ many career accolades. He developed the company’s COVID-19 policy and strategy.
Hughes credits the College of Public Health for having a key role in his professional success.
“I had a positive experience in the college,” he said. “My instructors taught me several aspects of public health. I learned a lot about population health. I learned how to read statistics. I learned about health behavior and health education. For anyone who wants a public health education — it’s a good academic choice.”