 Hughes was awarded numerous honorary fellowships of surgical colleges including the American College of Surgeons (1976), the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (1977) and the Royal College of Surgeons of England (1985).Between 1964 and 1965, Hughes was the recipient of the Sir Arthur Sims Commonwealth Travelling Scholarship, resulting in an extended lecturing commitment in Hong Kong, Malaysia, India and South Africa.Significant lectures delivered by Hughes during this career included the Moynihan Lecture in London (1965), the Hunterian Oration in London (1972), the Ismail Oration in Kuala Lumpur (1976) and the Digby Memorial Lecture in Hong Kong (1979).