Dr Michael Evan Hughes

On May 4, 2021, Michael Evan Hughes, loving son, brother, husband, and father of three daughters, departed this earthly life. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents Lawrence and Mary Mueting of Seneca, KS, and his paternal grandparents George and Florence Hughes of Ottawa, KS.

Michael was born on November 5, 1979, in Washington, DC, to Nancy (Mueting) and Rich Hughes. Michael attended public and parochial schools in Prairie Village, KS, and was an honors student and a champion debater, graduating from Shawnee Mission East in 1998. Following graduation, he attended Stanford University where he was awarded both BS and MS Biology degrees in 2002, and where Michael met his wife Jing Wang. Michael attended Harvard Medical School, earning a PhD in Neuroscience. Post-graduate studies led Michael to laboratories at the University of Pennsylvania as well as Yale University.

In 2013 Michael began his first independent research position at the University of Missouri in St. Louis and, in 2017, was recruited to Washington University School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Pulmonary Division. One of Michael’s greatest strengths was his ability to explain complicated concepts and make them easily understandable. He delighted in teaching students his passion for biology and promoted his students’ careers more than his own. He was an extraordinary scientist, publishing more than 35 scientific papers and was an avid collaborator, connecting the scientific community across disciplines and forging lifelong friends along the way.

Michael married Jing in 2007, and their union was blessed with daughters Sophie (12), Quinn (9), and Carolyn (6). Michael deeply cared for his family and took great pride in his children’s school, music, and dance accomplishments. Being a prodigious reader, his zest for learning had been conveyed to his daughters, who are great readers in their own right. Michael and Jing together faced life’s challenges while balancing career and family. They took pleasure in life’s simple joys of long walks, gardening, cooking, and artistic performances by their children.

Michael was a versatile scientist whose specialty was genetic profiling of circadian rhythms. His collaborations also took him into the study of neural circuitry, functional genomics of skeletal muscle, lung diseases, and bioinformatics. Michael’s desire in utilizing these diverse research methodologies was to develop effective therapies for the most vexing of human illnesses. In 2015, Michael’s perspective turned to that of patient when he was diagnosed with brain cancer. Michael, facing each surgery, would quote Eripides: “nothing has greater strength than dire necessity.”

Michael fought his illness with grace and a stubborn courage. His blog “bachforthebrain” chronicled his cancer survivorship with eloquence and deep humanism. Michael was a kind and compassionate go-to person in advising others confronting their own harsh diagnoses, also a steadfast contributor to cancer charities including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and American Cancer Society.

Michael is survived by his wife Jing and daughters Sophie, Quinn, and Carolyn, by his parents Nancy and Rich Hughes of Overland Park, KS, and by his sister Laura Hughes of San Diego, CA. Michael will be remembered for his quick wit, playful humor, golfing eagles, photographic memory, and winning smile. Michael’s scientific legacy will live on as colleagues extend on his research. He will be honored at a celebration of life at the Kriegshauser Mortuary at 9450 Olive Blvd, St. Louis, MO, 4-8pm on May 8, 2021. Interment will be at a private ceremony in Overland Park, KS.

Michael and his wife Jing are believers in higher education. To honor Michael’s wish for his children to follow his path in academia, the family has established a memorial fund to support the children’s college education. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Hughes Children Education Fund at First Community Credit Union, 17151 Chesterfield Airport Road, Chesterfield, MO 63005 or to Michael's wife, Dr. Jing Hughes, at [email protected].