Skip to main content
Christopher Hughes, MD, Anesthesiology, Nashville, TN, Tennessee Valley HCS - Nashville and Murfreesboro

ChristopherGHughesMD

Anesthesiology Nashville, TN

Critical Care Medicine

Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Dr. Hughes is on Doximity

As a Doximity member you'll join over two million verified healthcare professionals in a private, secure network.

  • Connect with other colleagues in the same hospital or clinic
  • Search all U.S. specialist profiles and refer a patient
  • Read the latest clinical news and earn CME/CEU credits

See Dr. Hughes' full profile

Already have an account?

Summary

  • Dr. Christopher G. Hughes is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology in the Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Anesthesia Critical Care Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry summa cum laude from Indiana University in 2001 and a Doctor of Medicine degree from Indiana University School of Medicine in 2005 as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He then completed residency in Anesthesiology, including a year as Chief Resident, in 2009 and critical care fellowship in 2010 at Vanderbilt, subsequently joining the faculty in 2010. He is Program Director for the Anesthesia Critical Care Medicine Fellowship, Chair of the Procedural Sedation Committee at VUMC, and member of the VUMC Institutional Review Board. Dr. Hughes is a principal investigator in the ICU Delirium and Cognitive Impairment Study Group (www.icudelirium.org). His research focuses on cognitive dysfunction during and after acute illness and on designing therapeutic regimens to improve cognitive outcomes. He is evaluating the mechanistic roles of endothelial activation, blood brain barrier injury, and neuroinflammation in delirium and long-term cognitive impairment. He is the Vanderbilt site principal investigator for the MENDS 2 study of dexmedetomidine vs. propofol for sedation of septic patients on mechanical ventilation. In addition, he is principal investigator of a study of cognitive and physical prehabilitation to improve outcomes after major surgery. Dr. Hughes has authored numerous manuscripts, including the first study to demonstrate the association of endothelial dysfunction with delirium, and is a frequent national and international speaker. He has received funding from the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research Mentored Research Training Grant, Clinical and Translational Science Awards, American Geriatrics Society Jahnigen Career Development Award, and the National Institutes of Health.

Education & Training

  • Vanderbilt University Medical Center
    Vanderbilt University Medical CenterFellowship, Critical Care Medicine (Anesthesiology), 2009 - 2010
  • Vanderbilt University Medical Center
    Vanderbilt University Medical CenterResidency, Anesthesiology, 2005 - 2009
  • Indiana University School of Medicine
    Indiana University School of MedicineClass of 2005
  • Indiana University
    Indiana UniversityB.S., Biochemistry, 1997 - 2001

Certifications & Licensure

  • KY State Medical License
    KY State Medical License 2016 - 2025
  • TN State Medical License
    TN State Medical License 2007 - 2025
  • American Board of Anesthesiology Anesthesiology
  • American Board of Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine

Awards, Honors, & Recognition

  • Best of Category for Critical Care IARS, 2015
  • Nominee, Kosaka Abstract Awards IARS, 2015
  • Chair's Award of Distinction, Department of Anesthesiology Vanderbilt University, 2015-2016
  • Join now to see all

Clinical Trials

Publications & Presentations

PubMed

Journal Articles

  • Sedative agents and prophylaxis in ICU delirium  
    Norman BC, Hughes CG, Current anesthesiology reports, 1/1/2015
  • Modulating the light switch by (3)MLCT-(3)pp* state interconversion  
    Spencer BR, Kraft BJ, Hughes CG, Pink M, Zaleski JM, Inorganic chemistry, 1/1/2010
  • Structure and thermal reactivity of a novel Pd(0) metallonenediyne  
    Coalter N, Concolino T, Streib W, Hughes CG, Rheingold A, Zaleski J, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 1/1/2000

Books/Book Chapters

  • Join now to see all

Lectures

  • Pharmacologic Principles 
    Vanderbilt University School of Medicine - 1/1/2016
  • Sedation and Pain Management in the ICU 
    Vanderbilt University School of Medicine - 1/1/2016
  • Diagnosis and Management of Shock 
    Vanderbilt University School of Medicine - 1/1/2016
  • Join now to see all

Press Mentions

  • No Difference in Outcomes with Recommended ICU Sedatives
    No Difference in Outcomes with Recommended ICU SedativesFebruary 10th, 2021
  • Study Shows Safety and Effectiveness of Two Recommended ICU Sedatives
    Study Shows Safety and Effectiveness of Two Recommended ICU SedativesFebruary 2nd, 2021
  • A Role for Blood Vessels in Delirium?
    A Role for Blood Vessels in Delirium?January 29th, 2016

Hospital Affiliations