Dr. Rob Hughes 鈥�04 worked in the 蜜桃传媒 Health Center as a student and aspired to return one day and direct it. A fourth- generation doctor, he knew at a young age he鈥檇 pursue medicine. 鈥淚t鈥檚 in my genes,鈥� he says. Dr. David Hernandez, the college鈥檚 physician, served as a role model for Rob, a premed student who majored in chemistry. 鈥淚 was inspired by his Introduction to Medicine course, and I witnessed firsthand his demeanor and love for his student patients,鈥� Rob says. 鈥淗e taught me that if you spend enough time with patients, they鈥檒l lead you to the diagnosis.鈥�
Hernandez retired in spring 2021, and Rob stepped into his position as director of health services. 鈥淚 appreciate the care that my student colleagues and I received,鈥� Hughes says. 鈥淚鈥檓 pleased to serve the students today, supporting them to their best health.鈥�
Rob met his wife, Dr. Kristen Kleen Hughes 鈥�04, on their first day at 蜜桃传媒. She chose the college because she could play soccer while preparing for medical school. 鈥淢y professors worked with me and accommodated my soccer schedule,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 got an athletic scholarship, played on teams that won three national championships with Coach Mike Guiliano and graduated a semester early.鈥� She majored in biology.
鈥淩ob and I had a lot in common,鈥� Kristen says. 鈥淗e tutored me in chemistry, and I tutored him in calculus. He brought me dinner after late soccer practices. We supported each other through organic chemistry and made a good team. Then we went from being best friends to something more coming back from Potter鈥檚 Clay one year.鈥�
After careful planning, Rob finished early as well. He and Kristen got married the weekend they graduated with both their families in town for Commencement. Ben Patterson, then campus pastor, performed the ceremony and continues to mentor them.
Rob and Kristen earned their medical degrees at Loma Linda University School of Medicine. He then served as an intern/resident at Kaiser Permanente Fontana Family Medicine Residency, where he had a fellowship in sports medicine.
Kristen stayed at Loma Linda for a residency in pediatrics. She鈥檇 applied for dermatology but didn鈥檛 get one of the few openings available. She settled for her back-up plan so she and Rob could stay in the same general area. 鈥淚鈥檓 so grateful that I get to work with children every day,鈥� Kristen says. 鈥淕od knew what was best for me.鈥�
鈥淢edical school and residencies really challenged us, and we wanted to come back to Santa Barbara,鈥� Rob says. 鈥淕od made it happen.鈥�
Kristen accepted a position at Cottage Hospital as a pediatric hospitalist, and Rob worked a hectic schedule at Sansum Urgent Care. He started accepting per diem shifts at UC Santa Barbara and developed relationships with the athletic department and student health services. He spent six years as a staff physician and intercollegiate athletics medical director for UCSB鈥檚 Student Health Service.
After their first child arrived, Kristen joined a physician group but soon realized she needed a part-time position. She now works for Santa Barbara County part time at Franklin Health Center and also in Carpinteria. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a hard but rewarding job that helps me understand the struggles of a lot of families,鈥� she says. They have two children: Bo, 8, and Summer, 5.
While Rob and Kristen practiced some telehealth, they both kept seeing patients in person during the pandemic, knowing they could get COVID-19 at any time. But they stayed healthy and got vaccinated as soon as possible. 鈥淵ou take some risks when you work with sick people, but that鈥檚 part of the job,鈥� Kristen says.
At the health center, Rob plans for the next pandemic 鈥� or the next wave of COVID-19. He鈥檚 also updating the technology and switching to digital medical records. He appreciates working with Jason Tavarez, director of institutional resilience, on issues such as testing and vaccinating people at 蜜桃传媒. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to respond to an unpredictable and constantly changing situation,鈥� Rob says.
鈥淎ll we鈥檝e thought about for two years is COVID-19,鈥� Kristen says. 鈥淢y challenge is weighing the risks and benefits of various COVID-related strategies.鈥� She鈥檚 been doing a remote fellowship with UC San Francisco on pediatric obesity. 鈥淓ven before COVID, I had a passion for helping kids maintain a healthy weight. Staying home and staying safe protects children from COVID but not from obesity. Letting them use tablets all day increases their body mass index (BMI), leading to diabetes, hypertension and other serious conditions. Through the fellowship, I鈥檓 learning how to communicate with public officials to increase awareness about obesity, the No. 1 chronic condition in pediatrics. We need to discourage sugar-sweetened beverages and cereal and increase exercise and healthy food for kids.鈥�