Chancellor, University of Mississippi

Dan Jones, MD, is enthusiastic about the undercurrent of continued positive change taking place at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC).

Jones, chancellor of the University of Mississippi, has made it a priority to secure the resources necessary to increase the number of medical students going through UMMC to help address healthcare needs in the state.

"We've been striving to meet the needs of Mississippians, and under the leadership of Dr. (Jimmy) Keeton, you'll see a strong focus on the quality of healthcare delivery in our system and in all of our education and research programs," said Jones, who served as the institution's CEO—overseeing five schools and the health system—before being named Ole Miss chancellor last June. "This focus has been an important part of his life. One of the reasons why he was brought to the medical center a few years ago was for his expertise and interest in the area of quality improvement. When it comes to healthcare in Mississippi, the needs are great and challenging. Look for the medical school to continue to meet those needs."

Jones knows of what he speaks. His career path has been etched with challenges and adventures.

"I developed an interest in medicine through, of all things, failure in athletics," Jones explained. "My two brothers were very successful athletes. I was not. About the ninth grade, a football coach told me I wasn't going to be a good athlete, and that I should pursue other interests. It was a painful thing to hear. But then he asked me to become the trainer for the high school football team. Through that experience, I had my first real contact with a doctor—the team physician—and I learned the joy of helping people with physical problems."

The youngest of three preacher's sons, Jones grew up in an area in Warren County so rural that "if you live outside Bovina, you're really in the country," he joked.

Jones idolized his older brothers, both all-around athletes and football standouts. He assumed he would follow in their footsteps. "Most boys in small schools in Mississippi have at least some sports awards, but I may be the only boy to graduate in a rural high school in Mississippi without one," said Jones, chuckling. "However, I'm a pretty good ping pong player ... willing to take on pretty much anyone."

After graduating from Mississippi College in 1971, Jones earned a medical degree from UMMC, where he also completed residency training. Seven years later, he entered private practice in Laurel. Fast forward another seven years, when he and his wife, Lydia, chose a path distinctly less traveled. Instead of continuing to build his practice in South Mississippi, the young family moved to Korea, where as a medical missionary he served as director of the community health department and hypertension clinic at the Wallace Memorial Baptist Hospital in Pusan. He returned to the United States in 1992 and joined the UMMC faculty.

"Living in South Korea was a good and important time in our lives," said Jones. "We learned to speak Korean, and truly experienced the culture. We traveled throughout Asia to other countries on similar projects. I did research, practiced medicine. The international relationships we made then continue today."

For most of his career, Jones' patient care, teaching and research activities has focused on hypertension and prevention of cardiovascular disease. He was the inaugural principal investigator for UMMC's participation in the landmark Jackson Heart Study, a National Institutes of Health-sponsored population project focused on cardiovascular disease in African Americans. A 10-year anniversary conference held two months ago in Jackson attracted healthcare leaders from around the world.

"The Jackson Heart Study continues today under the leadership of Dr. Herman Taylor," said Jones, who recently served as president of the American Heart Association (AHA). A national board director, his involvement extended to chairing AHA's strategic planning task force and international committee, and serving on the association's Council for High Blood Pressure Research as national spokesperson on high blood pressure. "I certainly stay engaged, involved, and follow it closely as we try to understand the causes of higher death rates in African Americans concerning cardiovascular disease."

At UMMC, Jones rose to vice chancellor for health affairs, dean of the School of Medicine and the Herbert G. Langford Professor of Medicine before serving as CEO.

"A few years ago, I made a decision to transition to taking on more administrative responsibility," explained Jones. "When I became dean of the School of Medicine, I gave up my medical practice as a primary focus. So the step to move into another administrative post—helm of the university system—was not so much a decision to step away from my medical practice, but to place a broader focus on healthcare and education. When I asked myself and others if my leadership may be the right fit for the university, and if this position would be one in which I could attempt to make a difference with my life, I had enough affirmative answers to offer myself for consideration."

Before he left his post at UMMC, Jones made several strategic moves to place the state's medical university in a better position to compete with similar institutions. For example, he lured Lucio Miele, MD, from Loyola University in Chicago, Ill., where Miele led the Breast Cancer Program, to direct the Mississippi Cancer Institute via a newly endowed chair. Miele's experience included research, funding and drug development with the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

"The science for cardiovascular and cancer overlap substantially, so there'll be great synergy across these interest areas," Jones said soon after Miele's arrival.

From 1996 to 2008, Jones, a fellow of the American College of Physicians, certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and designated specialist in clinical hypertension by the American Society of Hypertension Specialists, was recognized among the "Best Doctors in America."

"The training and practice of medicine provide a framework for decision-making that translates to the university level," said Jones. "Medical training certainly focuses on analyzing complex topics to come to the right conclusion and make objective decisions. Focusing most of my life improving the health of people is a prism through which I see university leadership."

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