Camara Phyllis Jones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Camara Phyllis Jones
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| Born | August 16, 1955 San Francisco, California, U.S.
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| Occupation | Epidemiologist |
| Spouse(s) | Herbert Singleton |
| Children | 2 |
Camara Phyllis Jones (born August 16, 1955) is an American doctor and scientist. She is an epidemiologist, which means she studies how diseases spread and how health is affected in groups of people. Dr. Jones is also an anti-racism activist. She focuses on how racism and unfair social differences impact people's health.
She is well-known for explaining different kinds of racism. These include institutional racism, personally mediated racism, and internalized racism. She helps people understand how these types of racism affect health in the United States today. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Jones highlighted that racism, not a person's race, is a risk factor for health problems. She urged everyone to work on fixing unfair systems.
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Early Life and Education
Camara Phyllis Jones was born on August 16, 1955, in San Francisco, California. After finishing high school, she went to Wellesley College. In 1976, she earned a degree in molecular biology. She then studied medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine, becoming a doctor in 1981. The next year, she earned a public health degree (M.P.H.) from Johns Hopkins University.
After medical school, she completed special training in preventative medicine. She also trained in family practice. In 1995, she earned her Ph.D. in epidemiology from Johns Hopkins. Her research looked at how blood pressure differences might be linked to "race."
Career: Fighting Racism and Health
Dr. Jones's work focuses on understanding, measuring, and fixing how racism affects health. She often uses stories, called allegories, to explain complex ideas. One famous story is "The Gardener's Tale." She shared this story in a 2000 article and in a TEDx talk in 2014. She also helped write a book chapter about using stories to fight racism in public health.
From 2019 to 2020, Dr. Jones was a Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard University. During this time, she worked on creating tools to help Americans fight racism. She was also the President of the American Public Health Association from 2015 to 2016. She is now a Senior Fellow at the Satcher Health Leadership Institute. Before that, she worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2000 to 2014. There, she was a Medical Officer and Research Director.
Dr. Jones has given many important speeches at universities. She has spoken at graduation ceremonies since 2013. In 2016, she received an honorary Doctor of Science degree. This special award was from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
University Teaching Roles
After her training, Dr. Jones taught at several universities. From 1986 to 1987, she was a visiting assistant professor at the City University of New York Medical School. Her first full professorship was at the Harvard School of Public Health. She taught there from 1994 to 2000.
Later, she became an adjunct associate professor at the Morehouse School of Medicine in 2003. In 2004, she became an adjunct professor at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. She also taught as a visiting professor at Meharry Medical College in 2012. From 2016 to 2017, she was a visiting professor at the University of Michigan–Flint.
Awards and Honors
Dr. Camara Phyllis Jones has received many awards for her important work:
- (2023): Honorary degree from Smith College.
- (2019): Radcliffe Fellow at Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University.
- (2019): Chanchlani Global Health Research Award from McMaster University.
- (2018): Wellesley Alumnae Achievement Award.
- (2018): SOPHE Honorary Fellow from the Society for Public Health Education.
- (2018): Cato T. Laurencin MD, PhD Distinguished Research Award.
- (2017): Richard and Barbara Hansen Leadership Award from The University of Iowa College of Public Health.
- (2016): Shirley Nathan Pulliam Health Equity Leadership Award.
- (2016): Honorary Member of the Royal Society for Public Health.
- (2016): Paul Cornely Award from the American Public Health Association.
- (2016): Doctor of Science (honoris causa) from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
- (2014): President-Elect, President, and Immediate Past President of the American Public Health Association.
- (2011): John Snow Award from the American Public Health Association.
- (2009): Hildrus A. Poindexter Distinguished Service Award.
- (2006): Fulbright Senior Specialists Roster from the United States Department of State.
- (2006): Elected inaugural member of the National Board of Public Health Examiners.
- (2003): David Satcher Award.
