Faculty Snapshot: Tonda Hughes

Tell us about your work.
My research focuses on alcohol use and mental health among sexual minority women. I am principal investigator of the Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women (CHLEW), a 21-year longitudinal study of more than 800 sexual minority women who were recruited in Chicago. 

What's in your Netflix queue right now?
"Feel Good," "Queen's Gambit," new episodes of "Call the Midwife." I highly recommend "Ride Like a Girl," "My Octupus Teacher," "Brain on Fire," "Hachi," "Unorthodox," "The Professor and the Madman," "Last Tango in Halifax," "The Two Popes," "The Boy who Harassed the Wind," and of course, "The Crown."

What advice might you have for a potential mentee about how to succeed in academia?
Build a solid network of colleagues who have similar interests; learn from your failures...and your successes; they are both powerful teachers. Learn how to say no. When invited to do a talk or be on a committee, thank the person who is inviting you and say you need to check your schedule. Check with a trusted mentor and sleep on it before responding. This can help prevent overcommitting, something that I've learned the hard way! 

To learn more about Dr. Hughes' work, please visit her faculty website, follow her on Twitter, or email her directly.