Meet Our Founder

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Dr. Doug Hughes, EdD, CSFA, CST, CRCST, FASA, FAST

Founder and Principal Consultant of Bridgent Academy

Dr. Doug Hughes is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Bridgent Academy, where he helps colleges, health systems, and professional associations turn expert practitioners into confident, effective educators. He draws on more than two decades across clinical practice, health-sciences education, and academic leadership—including his current role as a college dean—to deliver practical, standards-aligned solutions to the real challenges programs and their faculty face.

Through Bridgent Academy, he partners with clients on faculty development and the practitioner-to-educator transition, curriculum and program design, accreditation readiness, and the responsible use of AI in teaching and operations. His work has helped launch new degrees and certificates, strengthen accreditation outcomes, and secure more than $3.2M in education and workforce funding—experience he brings directly to the programs he serves.

His expertise includes:

  • Faculty development for healthcare, CTE, and K-12 educators
  • Curriculum design and instructional technology integration
  • Accreditation compliance and program development
  • AI-enhanced teaching strategies

Professional Snapshot

Health sciences professor and senior academic leader; current college dean overseeing allied health and nursing in Washington State

CAAHEP accreditation site visitor and former Chair of the ARC/STSA Subcommittee for Accreditation on Surgical Assisting (SASA)

Former Vice President of the Association of Surgical Assistants (ASA)

Program developer across surgical technology, perioperative nursing, dental assisting, computer science, respiratory therapy, community health, SUD counseling, and more; launched new 2 and 4-year degrees

AST Educator of the Year (2015); frequent presenter and mentor

Published contributor to McGraw-Hill’s The Practice and Principles of Surgical Assisting (2025)

Fellow: Association of Surgical Assistants (FASA) and Association of Surgical Technologists (FAST)

League AI Fellow (2026); holds AI Automation & Agentic AI (WSU) and Microsoft Generative AI for Education credentials.