About

Robert Hughes is a scholar of comparative literature with a focus on the intersection of contemporary continental philosophies of art and aesthetics, feminist theories, and phenomenological theories of the body. His academic background includes a PhD in Comparative Literature from Emory University. His literary expertise primarily encompasses nineteenth-century literature, especially American literature, as well as European art, literature, and philosophy of the same period. Hughes is also a translator of contemporary philosophy from French and German into English and serves as a co-director of the International Philosophical Seminar in Italy. His recent publications include translations of works by Peter Sloterdijk and Laurent De Sutter, as well as his own authored book titled "The Aesthetic Subject in Contemporary Continental Philosophy and Literature: Thinking the Body-Thought" published by Routledge in 2024. His research explores themes related to the body, aesthetics, and cultural politics within the framework of critical theory and comparative literature.

Research topics

• Physics
• Particle physics
• Nuclear physics
• Computer science
• Algorithm

Selected publications

• Albert Camus, <i>Travels in the Americas: Notes and Impressions of a New World</i>, edited by Alice Kaplan, translated by Ryan Bloom

  American Literary History · 2025-01-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Non-invasive fibrosis tools lack clinical utility for identifying advanced fibrosis in Fontan-associated liver disease: a retrospective cohort study

  BMJ Open Gastroenterology · 2025-08-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVE: Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD) results from haemodynamic changes following the Fontan procedure for congenital heart disease and is associated with poorer outcomes. The prevalence of Fontan is rising due to improved survival; however, little is known about predictors of advanced liver fibrosis in adult patients. This study aimed to determine the accuracy of non-invasive fibrosis assessment tools (NIT) in predicting histologically confirmed advanced liver fibrosis in an adult Fontan cohort attending Mater Misericordiae University Hospital. METHODS: Patient demographics, congenital cardiac variables and fibrosis biomarkers were recorded including liver stiffness measurement (LSM) via transient elastography, Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) and Aspartate aminotransferase-to-Platelet Ratio Index (APRI) scores. Biopsies, taken between 2017 and 2024, were staged using the congestive hepatic fibrosis score. Analysis was performed using SPSS. RESULTS: 71 patients (58% male) were included. The median age was 25 years. 62% had histological advanced fibrosis. There were no significant bleeding events post biopsy. Overall, advanced fibrosis was associated with a closed Fontan fenestration (p=0.022) and higher LSM, although with a weak correlation (p=0.04, r=0.25, area under the curve (AUC) 0.65), but not with APRI or FIB-4. There was no difference in rates of advanced fibrosis between sex (p=0.84). In females, higher APRI was associated with advanced fibrosis (p=0.045, r=0.41, AUC 0.73). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of Fontan patients have advanced liver fibrosis in their third decade. A patent Fontan fenestration appears to reduce the risk of advanced fibrosis. Despite an association with higher LSM, there was no cut-off which could negate the need for biopsy in a significant population. Our data suggest that the discriminatory ability of NIT may vary according to sex. Liver biopsy is safe and remains the only method of reliably diagnosing advanced fibrosis in FALD.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evaluation of Ketamine’s Impact on Vasopressor Requirements in Critically Ill Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study

  Hospital Pharmacy · 2025-10-17 · 1 citations

  article

  Background: Ketamine is a commonly used sedative agent for procedural sedation and rapid sequence intubation. Ketamine can also be administered via continuous infusion as an adjunct agent for sedation and analgesia in mechanically ventilated patients requiring high levels of sedation. In individuals who are not catecholamine-depleted, ketamine induces the release of norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine, leading to transient increases in cardiovascular function. This mechanism suggests that ketamine, when used as a sedative agent, could potentially reduce vasopressor requirements in patients undergoing vasopressor therapy to maintain stable hemodynamics while needing high levels of sedation. The existing literature on continuous infusion ketamine's effect on vasopressor requirements is conflicting, with some studies reporting potential benefit and others showing no clinical difference. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at Saint Joseph Hospital, a 433 bed community hospital located in Lexington, KY. The study included mechanically ventilated patients admitted between August 7, 2018, and December 31, 2024 who received a vasopressor agent for at least 3 hours for hemodynamic support prior to the initiation of continuous infusion ketamine, and received both ketamine and vasopressors concomitantly for at least 3 hours. To be included, patients must have also been receiving vasopressors at a dose ≥0.1 mcg/kg/min norepinephrine equivalents (NEE). The primary outcome was change in vasopressor requirements in critically ill patients at 6, 12, 24 hours after initiation of a continuous ketamine infusion as an adjunct sedative. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate whether the use of ketamine as an adjunct sedative and analgesic agent can decrease vasopressor requirements in critically ill patients. Results: = .022). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, continuous infusion ketamine can reduce mean vasopressor requirements when used as an adjunct sedative in mechanically ventilated patients.

  PublisherDOI

• A Novel Approach for Quantifying the Carbon Footprint of Different Medical Education Teaching Modalities in an NHS Hospital Trust

  The Clinical Teacher · 2025-09-07 · 1 citations

  articleCorresponding

  ABSTRACT Introduction Climate health is gaining prominence in medical curricula worldwide, with academic and healthcare institutions setting targets to reach carbon net zero. However, the integration of evidence‐based strategies to reduce carbon footprint in medical education is constrained by a scarcity of research. This research study uses a novel approach to quantifying the carbon footprint of three teaching modalities within an undergraduate medical curriculum. Methods We quantified the carbon footprint generated by delivering bedside, didactic and simulation‐based education to undergraduate medical students in a hospital environment. Data were collected on the use of electronic equipment and consumables during each teaching session. Environmentally extended input–output analysis (EEIOA) was conducted to estimate the carbon footprint intensity. Results A total of 30 teaching sessions were evaluated (bedside = 10, didactic = 10 and simulation = 10). The median carbon footprint intensity for delivering bedside, didactic and simulation teaching was 0.1180 kgCO 2 e/h/learner, 0.0293 kgCO 2 e/h/learner and 0.0419 kgCO 2 e/h/learner, respectively. For context, the average carbon footprint is 0.041 kgCO 2 e per kilometre for electric vehicles. Bedside teaching had the highest carbon footprint per learner, driven by electronics and personal protective equipment. Didactic had the lowest carbon footprint due to a low or absent requirement for consumables. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to propose carbon footprint intensity as a potential outcome measure for evaluating the delivery of medical education. This approach offers a tool to empower educators to quantify the environmental impact of educational activities to support the implementation of low carbon strategies.

  PublisherDOI

• Global burden and economic impact of vaccine-preventable cancer mortality

  Journal of Medical Economics · 2024-04-19 · 15 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Infections are responsible for approximately 13% of cancer cases worldwide and many of these infections can be prevented by vaccination. Human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) are among the most common infections that cause cancer deaths globally, despite effective prophylactic vaccines being available. This analysis aims to estimate the global burden and economic impact of vaccine-preventable cancer mortality across World Health Organization (WHO) regions. METHODS: The number of deaths and years of life lost (YLL) due to five different vaccine-preventable cancer forms (oral cavity, liver, laryngeal, cervical, and oropharyngeal cancer) in each of the WHO regions (African, Eastern Mediterranean, European, the Americas, South-East Asia Pacific, and Western Pacific) were obtained from the Institute for Health Metrics Evaluation global burden of disease dataset. Vaccine-preventable mortality was estimated considering the fraction attributable to infection, to estimate the number of deaths and YLL potentially preventable through vaccination. Data from the World Bank on GDP per capita were used to estimate the value of YLL (VYLL). The robustness of these results was explored with sensitivity analysis. Given that several Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) vaccines are in development, but not yet available, the impact of a potential vaccine for EBV was evaluated in a scenario analysis. RESULTS: In 2019, there were 465,740 potentially vaccine-preventable cancer deaths and 14,171,397 YLL across all WHO regions. The estimated economic impact due to this mortality was $106.3 billion globally. The sensitivity analysis calculated a range of 403,025-582,773 deaths and a range in productivity cost of $78.8-129.0 billion. In the scenario analysis EBV-related cancer mortality increased the global burden by 159,723 deaths and $32.4 billion. CONCLUSION: Overall, the findings from this analysis illustrate the high economic impact of premature cancer mortality that could be potentially preventable by vaccination which may assist decision-makers in allocating limited resources among competing priorities. Improved implementation and increased vaccination coverage of HPV and HBV should be prioritized to decrease this burden.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The productivity cost of mortality due to lung cancer, breast cancer and melanoma in Europe across 2010, 2015 and 2019

  Journal of Cancer Policy · 2024-08-13 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Cancer caused an estimated 2.2 million deaths across Europe in 2020. This analysis estimated the cost of lost productivity due to premature deaths associated with lung, breast and melanoma cancer and investigated the temporal trends across European regions across 2010, 2015 and 2019. METHOD: The human capital approach was used to estimate the indirect costs from lung, melanoma, and breast cancers (ICD-10 code: C33-34, C43, and C50, respectively) in Northern, Eastern, Southern, and Western Europe. Age-specific mortality, and country-specific wages and employment rates were used to calculate years of productive life lost (YPLL), YPLL/death and present value of future lost productivity (PVFLP). Data were sourced from the World Health Organization, Eurostat, and the World Bank. RESULTS: The number of cancer deaths remained relatively stable from 2010 to 2019. YPLL/death decreased across all European regions and for all cancers between 2010 and 2019 (reported ranges across European regions; lung cancer: 25-42 %; breast cancer: 18-21 %; melanoma: 31-37 %). In Europe, the decrease in PVFLP in 2019 compared to 2010 was €2995M for lung cancer, €295M for melanoma, and €466M for breast cancer, with an overall reduction of productivity cost of €3756M in these cancer types. CONCLUSION: The results from this study illustrate a decreased trend in productivity costs from 2010 to 2019 which could be driven by deaths occurring at an older age, suggesting that advances in cancer prevention and the treatment landscape have extended the life of cancer patients, yielding less productivity losses. POLICY SUMMARY: The indirect economic costs modelled show the impact of past effective health policies and new treatments. Continued efforts to improve public health policies in supporting public awareness of risk factors and value of early diagnosis could lead to further reduction in these losses. Prevention, early diagnosis, and activation of early treatment pathways could serve to reduce loss of life and improve productivity.

  PublisherDOI

• Perniola on visuality as a mode of sense

  2024-05-23

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Irigaray on the limits of the homely figuration of the unhomely subject

  2024-05-23

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Parents’ Experiences after Their Child’s Autism Diagnosis: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis

  Psychiatry International · 2024-07-29 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  A child’s autism diagnosis is life-changing for their parents, due to the complex and long-term nature of the condition. Furthermore, research about the increased prevalence of autism suggests that more parents are being affected globally. However, limited studies have investigated parents’ lived experience of their child being diagnosed with autism. This study aimed to explore the first-hand experience and concerns of parents when their child has been diagnosed with autism. The study employed a qualitative, exploratory design. Parents of a child who had received an autism diagnosis at least 12 months prior were invited to a video interview. Eleven parents participated in an hour-long interview. The interviews were transcribed, and an inductive reflexive thematic analysis was performed. The analysis resulted in four main themes: “Shock and control”, “A thousand little conversations”, “Put your own oxygen mask on first”, and “Reforged identities”, orientating around the period surrounding diagnosis, ongoing communication requirements, the need for self-care and reorientation of identity. These findings identify areas of heightened concern for parents and provide professionals with practical insight when evaluating their engagement approaches with these groups of parents. Findings can help psychologists, therapists, educators and parents themselves to identify strategies to support the well-being of parents who have an autistic child.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Introduction

  2024-05-23

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• J. Andreä

  Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien

  1126 shared

• C. Collard

  Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien

  1124 shared

• D. Blöch

  Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien

  1121 shared

• E. Conte

  Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien

  1119 shared

• E. C. Chabert

  Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien

  1036 shared

• P. Verdier

  Institute of High Energy Physics

  932 shared

• M. Lethuillier

  Institute of Nuclear Physics of Lyon

  931 shared

• S. Beauceron

  Institute of Nuclear Physics of Lyon

  875 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Department of Comparative Literature

  Emory University

  2003