Kaleida Health executive David Hughes, a GM engineer turned doctor, dies at 53

Dr. David P. Hughes, the executive vice president for strategy and partnerships at Kaleida Health, died Tuesday.

“A friend and trusted colleague to so many in the organization and across the community, he was a visionary leader, accomplished physician, business owner, entrepreneur and engineer,” Kaleida said late Thursday in announcing Hughes’ death.

Hughes, 53, started in his most recent role at Kaleida in August, focusing on strategy and relationships to bolster the health system’s population health footprint and to pursue partnerships with other providers and payers. In that role, he also oversaw Great Lakes Integrated Network – of which he was the CEO – as well as Optimum Physician Alliance. 

He also was the primary physician liaison with Erie County Medical Center, UBMD and General Physician P.C. 

Hughes joined Kaleida from ECMC in 2013 as the system’s senior vice president and chief clinical integration officer. The next year, he was named Kaleida’s executive vice president and chief medical officer.

Over the course of his career, Hughes also served as Kaleida Health’s medical director for employee health, an attending physician in emergency medicine at Kaleida Health and ECMC, an assistant clinical professor in emergency medicine for the University at Buffalo as well the president of the Governing Board for the State University of New York at Buffalo Faculty Practice Management Plan.

Hughes received his master’s degree in public health from the Medical College of Wisconsin, and then his medical degree from UB in 1995.

He also has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Kettering University in Flint, Mich.

Before attending medical school, Hughes was a process engineer at the General Motors engine plant in the Town of Tonawanda.