Hughes-Halbert was a junior faculty member at
Georgetown University Medical Center. She was part of a small team of researches investigating
health disparities in cancer prevention and control. She later worked in the department of psychiatry at
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research was funded by the
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. She developed partnerships between academia and the community to address health issues in the African American community in the
Philadelphia metro area. This included connecting
Grassroots organisations to academic investigators to investigate disease prevention and evidence-based interventions. In 2007, Hughes-Halbert became the first African American woman to be promoted to associate professor with tenure in the department of psychiatry at Penn.
Research Hughes-Halbert is recognized for her cancer disparities and behavioral science research. She investigates understanding barriers to clinical trial participation in underserved communities and developing population-based interventions to reduce disparities in local settings. Her interest in minority health and health disparities is very personal for Hughes-Halbert as she lost both her mother and an aunt to cancer. She has authored over 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles. == Awards and honors ==