Former President and CEO of St. Luke's Health Initiatives,
Roger Hughes, Ph.D., Delivers Winter 2011 Commencement

Dr. Hughes is the recipient of leadership awards from the Arizona Medical Association, the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association, the ASU Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy, Children's Action Alliance, the Hon Kachina Council for volunteerism, and other organizations. He has authored more than 80 research and policy reports on various health system and community health issues, as well as numerous articles on futurism, the impact of technology on society, philanthropy, and the role of the nonprofit sector in society.

With hundreds of friends and family in attendance, more than 50 students graduated and earned doctor of naturopathic medicine degrees.

Dr. Hughes kicked off his commencement speech thanking those in attendance and congratulating the graduates. He spoke of making plans for the future:

“Plans are fine, but despite our efforts to control events, the future is likely to be a tangled mess, even more chaotic than the present.  And frankly, that’s not a bad thing.  If we could predict the future, there would be nothing to learn, and to my way of thinking, a life without learning is no life at all.”

Dr. Hughes went on to share two of his theses about the future:

“Here is the first thesis:  In the future, all thing singular become plural.  Not public policy, but publics and policies.  Not the world community, but many worlds, many communities.  Not alternative, but alternatives.  If this is true, then in the future there will be no such thing as alternative medicine.  That term implies there is some form of medicine that is not an alternative – and against which everything else is measured -- which in fact is what a significant portion of the medical establishment wants us to believe.”

“In the future, all nouns become verbs.  It will be less important that you have have a clear and distinct position on the place of naturopathic physicians in the health care universe than how you position yourself to take advantage of the growing opportunities to control costs and improve health through distinct evidence-based modalities of care.”

In closing, Dr. Hughes said:

“So take heart, graduates.  It’s not the end of the game.  It’s early in the first quarter, and you’re just getting underway.  Think plural, not singular.  Be a verb, not just a noun.  Take the time to care, to connect, to be a guide and healer, and not merely a provider of somebody’s algorithm of efficient care.  But most of all, be of courage and take the field.  Learn to read it, because it will change as you go along.  In truth, your education isn’t finished.  It’s just getting started.”