Strategic Marketplace Initiative (SMI) is saddened to announce that Tom Hughes, Executive Director, passed away at his home on Tuesday, January 26th. Hughes has been the leader of SMI since its inception 16 years ago and drove its mission as an organization that strives to make transformational change to improve the healthcare supply chain and patient care.
Under his leadership, SMI now consists of 130 of the most influential and powerful healthcare providers, suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors in the US. The extent of his influence on our industry cannot be measured.
Hughes’ long and exemplary career began on the front lines of hospital administration and materials management at Beth Israel Hospital and Tufts New England Medical Center over 40 years ago. He founded Concepts in Healthcare, a healthcare supply chain consultancy and after the sale of this company to BD, became the Vice President of BD Healthcare Consulting & Services before moving into his role as executive director with SMI.
Throughout his career, he was a beloved mentor to countless supply chain professionals and was a tireless leader who championed an elevated and strategic role for supply chain in the healthcare industry. He is recognized for pioneering new approaches for provider and supplier collaboration that have forever changed the trajectory of trading partner relationships in healthcare. He developed quality assurance programs that are now implemented into all functions of supply chain management.
His lifetime achievements include past president of HCMMS, lifetime member of AHRMM and recipient of the George R. Gossett Leadership Award, Bellwether League Award Recipient, and has been recognized by Healthcare Purchasing News (HPN) as being among supply chain management’s most influential people.
Jane Pleasants, Vice President of Supply Chain at Duke Health said, “The passing of Tom Hughes is a profound loss. He will be remembered as a true giant in the industry – a colleague, mentor, and friend. Tom will be in my heart and the hearts of so many people forever – our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time.“
SMI will be scheduling an event to celebrate Tom’s life and recognize the many contributions he made to the industry. Other memorial plans are pending.
The entire Healthcare Purchasing News staff and our Editorial Advisory Board join SMI in mourning the loss of Tom and the multitude of contributions he made and continued to lead in the development of supply chain practices and process improvements.
