Camara Phyllis Jones (born August 16, 1955) is an American physician,

epidemiologist Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...

, and

anti-racism Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate a ...

activist who specializes in the effects of racism and social inequalities on health. She is known for her work in defining

institutional racism Institutional racism, also known as systemic racism, is a form of racism that is embedded in the laws and regulations of a society or an organization. It manifests as discrimination in areas such as criminal justice, employment, housing, health ...

, personally mediated racism, and

internalized racism Internalized racism is a form of internalized oppression, defined by sociologist Karen D. Pyke as the "internalization of racial oppression by the racially subordinated." In her study ''The Psychology of Racism, '' Robin Nicole Johnson emphasizes ...

in the context of modern U.S.

race relations Race relations is a sociological concept that emerged in Chicago in connection with the work of sociologist Robert E. Park and the Chicago race riot of 1919. Race relations designates a paradigm or field in sociology and a legal concept in the ...

. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, Jones drew attention to why racism and not race is a risk factor and called for actions to address structural racism.

Early life and education

Camara Phyllis Jones was born August 16, 1955 in San Francisco, California. Following her graduation from high school, Jones went on to receive her

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

molecular biology Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...

from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

in 1976. She then went on to earn her

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

from the

Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine is the medical school of Stanford University and is located in Stanford, California. It traces its roots to the Medical Department of the University of the Pacific, founded in San Francisco in 1858. This ...

in 1981 and her M.P.H. from the

Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is the public health graduate school of Johns Hopkins University, a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. As the second independent, degree-granting institution for research in epi ...

the following year. After receiving her medical degree, she completed residency training in 1983 for General Preventative Medicine at Johns Hopkins and completed a second residency training in 1986 in Family Practice at Montefiore Medical Center. She earned her

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...

from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health in 1995. The title of her dissertation was ''Methods for Comparing Distributions: Development and Application Exploring "Race"-Associated Differences in Systolic Blood Pressure''.

Career

Jones' work focuses on naming, measuring and addressing the impacts of racism on health and well-being. To illustrate the effects of racism, Jones often uses allegories or stories, such as The Gardener's Tale, which she shared in a 2000 article in the ''

American Journal of Public Health The ''American Journal of Public Health'' is a monthly peer-reviewed public health journal published by the American Public Health Association that covers health policy and public health. The journal was established in 1911 and its stated missio ...

'' and in a

TEDx TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...

talk she gave in 2014. Along with co-authors, she wrote a chapter on Action and Allegories for the American Public Health Association book, ''Racism: Science & Tools for the Public Health Professional''. Jones was a 2019–2020 Radcliffe Fellow at the

Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University—also known as the Harvard Radcliffe Institute—is a part of Harvard University that fosters interdisciplinary research across the humanities, sciences, social sciences, arts, a ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. As a Radcliffe fellow, she is developing tools to inspire, equip, and engage all Americans in a national campaign against racism. She is a Past President of the American Public Health Association (2015–2016) and a Senior Fellow at the Satcher Health Leadership Institute and the Cardiovascular Research Institute at the

Morehouse School of Medicine Morehouse School of Medicine is a private co-educational medical school in Atlanta, Georgia. Originally a part of Morehouse College, the school became independent in 1981. The school abbreviates its name with its initials "MSM." History Esta ...

. She was a Medical Officer and Research Director on Social Determinants of Health and Equity for the

Center for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

(2000–2014). Jones has delivered seven

commencement speech A commencement speech or commencement address is a speech given to graduating students, generally at a university, although the term is also used for secondary education institutions and in similar institutions around the world. The commencement ...

es since 2013 at the

UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health The UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health is the public health school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and is accre ...

(2018),

University of Minnesota School of Public Health The University of Minnesota School of Public Health, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a professional school of the University of Minnesota. The school offers 16 masters programs and four doctoral programs, which culminate in one of the follo ...

(2017),

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Southern Illinois University School of Medicine is a medical school located in Springfield, the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois. It is part of the Southern Illinois University system, which includes a campus in Edwardsville as well as the ...

(2017),

CUNY School of Medicine The CUNY School of Medicine is a medical school that began operations in fall 2016 as part of the City University of New York. The school is in Hamilton Heights on the campus of the City College of New York and partners with Saint Barnabas ...

(2017),

UCSF School of Medicine The UCSF School of Medicine is the medical school of the University of California, San Francisco and is located at the base of Mount Sutro on the Parnassus Heights campus in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1864 by Hugh Toland, it is the o ...

(2016),

UC Berkeley School of Public Health The University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health, also called Berkeley Public Health, is one of fourteen schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley. The School of Public Health is consistently rated alongside the ...

(2016), and the

University of Washington School of Public Health The University of Washington School of Public Health is the only public health school located in the Northwest, and is based on the main campus of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. The School is accredited through the Council o ...

(2013). In 2016, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS or Mount Sinai), formerly the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, is a private medical school in New York City. It is the academic teaching arm of the Mount Sinai Health System, which manages eig ...

Faculty appointments

Following the completion of her residency in family practice from Montefiore Medical Center, Jones held the position of visiting assistant professor in the Department of Community Health and Social Medicine at the City University of New York Medical School from 1986 to 1987. Her first professorship was at the

Harvard School of Public Health The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is the public health school of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. The school grew out of the Harvard-MIT School for Health Officers, the nation's first ...

, where she held the position of

assistant professor Assistant Professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States and Canada. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doctoral degree and general ...

in the Departments of Health and Social Behavior, Epidemiology, and Division of Public Health Practice from 1994 to 2000. In 2003, Jones was appointed adjunct associate professor at the

in the Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine, and in 2004 she was appointed

adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, however the genera ...

at the

Rollins School of Public Health The Rollins School of Public Health (RSPH) is the public health school of Emory University. Founded in 1990, Rollins has more than 1,100 students pursuing master's degrees ( MPH/MSPH) and over 150 students pursuing doctorate degrees ( PhD). Th ...

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, and in the Department of Epidemiology. She continues to hold both of these positions to this day. In 2012, Jones was a

visiting professor In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic for which the visitor ...

Meharry Medical College Meharry Medical College is a private historically black medical school affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1876 as the Medical Department of Central Tennessee College, it was the first me ...

as a part of the Scholars-in-Residence Program under the

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is an American philanthropic organization. It is the largest one focused solely on health. Based in Princeton, New Jersey, the foundation focuses on access to health care, public health, health equity, ...

Center for Health Policy. She was also a "Myron and Margaret Winegarden Visiting Professor" at the

University of Michigan–Flint The University of Michigan–Flint (UM-Flint, UMF) is a public university in Flint, Michigan. It is one of the two regional universities operating under the policies of the University of Michigan Board of Regents, the other being the University ...

in the Department of Public Health and Health Sciences from 2016 to 2017.

Hospital appointments

Jones was appointed Chief Resident in Family Practice at Montefiore Hospital from 1985 to 1986. Her next hospital appointment was held from 1994 to 1996 at

Brigham and Women's Hospital Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) is the second largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and the largest hospital in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Along with Massachusetts Gener ...

as a Research Associate in Medicine.

Awards and honors

*(2019): 2019–2020 Radcliffe Fellow: ''

at Harvard University'' *(2019): Chanchlani Global Health Research Award: ''

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Ga ...

'' *(2018): Wellesley Alumnae Achievement Award *(2018): SOPHE Honorary Fellow: '' Society for Public Health Education'' *(2018): Cato T. Laurencin MD, PhD Distinguished Research Award: ''W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute

National Medical Association The National Medical Association (NMA) is the largest and oldest national organization representing African American physicians and their patients in the United States. The NMA is a 501(c)(3) national professional and scientific organization repr ...

'' *(2018): Progressive Change Maker Award: ''New Leaders Council Atlanta'' *(2018): Frances Borden-Hubbard Social Justice Award: ''The Springfield Adolescent Health Project'' *(2018): Louise Stokes Health Advocacy Award: ''National Medical Association'' *(2017): Richard and Barbara Hansen Leadership Award: ''The University of Iowa College of Public Health'' *(2017): Outstanding Woman Leader in Healthcare Award: ''Leadership Summit for Women in Academic Medicine and Healthcare University of Michigan'' *(2016): Shirley Nathan Pulliam Health Equity Leadership Award: ''

University of Maryland School of Public Health The University of Maryland School of Public Health is located in College Park, Maryland. ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked the school 20th among all schools and programs of public health in 2021. It contains the departments of Department of Be ...

and

Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene The Maryland Department of Health is an agency of the government of Maryland responsible for public health issues. The Department is headed by a Secretary who is a member of the Executive Council/Cabinet of the Governor of Maryland. Currently t ...

'' *(2016): Myron and Margaret Winegarden Visiting Professor: ''

'' *(2016): 2016

Royal Society for Public Health Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) is an independent, multi-disciplinary charity dedicated to the improvement of the public's health. RSPH helps inform policy and practice, working to educate, empower and support communities and individuals ...

Honorary Member *(2016): Paul Cornely Award: ''Health Activist Dinner American Public Health Association'' *(2016): Doctor of Science (honoris causa): ''

'' *(2016): 2016 Jonathan M. Mann Lecturer: ''

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

'' (CDC) ''Foundation'' *(2014): American Public Health Association: **President-Elect (2014–2015) **President (2015–2016) **Immediate Past President (2016–2017) *(2012): Senior Fellow in Health Disparities Research: ''W. Montague Cobb/National Medical Association'' (NMA) ''Health Institute'' *(2011): John Snow Award- Epidemiology Section: ''American Public Health Association'' and the ''Royal Society for Public Health'' *(2010): Distinguished Service Award: ''Georgia State Medical Association'' *(2010): Presidential Citation: ''Society for Public Health Education'' *(2009): Hildrus A. Poindexter Distinguished Service Award: ''Black Caucus of Health Workers, American Public Health Association'' *(2009): Nominee, Charles C. Shepard Science Award: ''Centers for Disease Control and Prevention'' (CDC) **Nominated in the category "Assessment and Epidemiology" for the publication: *(2006): Fulbright Senior Specialists Roster: ''

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the United States Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries around the world. It is responsible for the Un ...

'' *(2006): Elected inaugural member of the ''National Board of Public Health Examiners'' *(2003): David Satcher Award: ''Association of State and Territorial Directors of Health Promotion and Public Health Education''

Selected works and publications

* * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Camara Phyllis 1955 births Living people 20th-century American anthropologists 20th-century American physicians 20th-century American scientists 20th-century American women scientists 20th-century American women physicians 21st-century American anthropologists 21st-century American physicians 21st-century American scientists 21st-century American women scientists 21st-century American women physicians Activists from San Francisco African-American activists African-American physicians African-American scientists American civil rights activists Women civil rights activists American women epidemiologists American epidemiologists American women anthropologists Centers for Disease Control and Prevention people Critical race theory Harvard School of Public Health faculty Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health alumni Medical anthropologists Morehouse School of Medicine faculty Physicians from California Radcliffe fellows Stanford University School of Medicine alumni University of Michigan–Flint people Wellesley College alumni