About

Division:

Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery

Personal Biography:

Dr. Rachel Hughes is a board-certified family medicine physician and faculty in ´óÏó´«Ã½ Department of Family Medicine. She spends part of her clinical time providing care in the Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery department with a focus in Vulvar Medicine. She completed a fellowship in the MIGS clinic prior to continuing to practice in a faculty position. She also continues to practice full-scope family medicine in hospital settings and oversees perinatal care at the Orange County Health Department.

Her interest in vulvar medicine began during her residency when she had the opportunity rotate with Dr. Debbie Phipps in the MIGS clinic. She was immediately inspired by Dr. Phipps’ expertise and compassion in treating patients with a wide variety of concerns related to their vulvar health. She is eager to provide the same patient-centered care as her mentor for conditions that can have such an impact on a patient’s quality of life. She plans to use her ongoing role in resident education to improve provider awareness about diagnosis and management of vulvar skin conditions, vulvar pain, and vaginitis in primary care settings so more patients can have access to this important care.

Outside of the office and hospital, Dr. Hughes loves exploring the area’s hiking trails and state parks, spending time with her husband at any beach they can find, and doing jigsaw puzzles with the help of her cat Nutmeg.

Preferred Name:  Rachel Hughes

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Education:

• Vulvar Medicine Fellowship – ´óÏó´«Ã½ Department of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery, Hillsborough NC 27278; 2022-2023
• Family Medicine Career Development Fellowship, Chief Resident – ´óÏó´«Ã½ Department of Family Medicine, Chapel Hill NC 27514; 2022-2023
• Family Medicine Residency – ´óÏó´«Ã½ Department of Family Medicine, Chapel Hill NC 27514; 2019-2022
• Doctor of Medicine – University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati OH 45219; 2015-2019
• Bachelor of Science, minor in Gender Studies – University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame IN 46556; 2011-2015

Board Certifications:

• Family Medicine, 2022-present