The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) Board of Directors is pleased to announce that it has hired Danielle D. Jones, PhD, MPH, as Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This newly created position at AWHONN is critical to ensuring DEI strategies are integrated across the enterprise to advance equity for our members and the communities they serve.

In her role as VP of DEI, Jones will be responsible for supporting AWHONN’s efforts to infuse principles of diversity, equity and inclusion across the organization. AWHONN is committed to engaging and embracing all of its members and supporting them in the delivery of high quality and equitable care, research and education. The organization is committed to examining policies, programs, and products, and intends to offer training and support to AWHONN staff, volunteer leaders and members to support the collective goal of equitable health outcomes. Jones will play a key role in helping AWHONN implement its DEI roadmap (which includes many of the aforementioned efforts) and will support AWHONN members in the advancement of the organization’s mission.

“Dr. Jones is a proven leader in the healthcare association space. She has an extensive track record of advancing equity and inclusion in health care environments and has a demonstrated passion for AWHONN’s mission,” said AWHONN CEO Jonathan Webb, MPH, MBA.

“It’s exciting to be joining AWHONN at this point in their journey towards becoming a more diverse, equitable an inclusive organization.  I look forward to building relationships with the membership and supporting them as they strive to achieve health equity for all,” said Jones.

Jones previously served as director of the American Academy of Family Physicians’ Center for Diversity and Health Equity (CDHE). In this role, she operationalized the strategic priorities of the AAFP’s Board of Directors and executive leadership on issues of workforce diversity, health in all policies, medical education and practice tools that advance equity.

Prior to joining the AAFP in 2017, Jones served as Director of Maternal Child Health for March of Dimes Kansas and was a Fellow with the Army Public Health Center at Fort Leavenworth, KS advising the Senior Commander of the Combined Arms Center.  Both roles involved the development and implementation of equity focused health promotion strategies to reduce disparities in maternal mortality, preterm birth, substance use and suicide by addressing the social determinants of health, policy, systems and infrastructure.

Jones completed her doctoral degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Health Policy and Management where her research on unconscious bias has led to the development of evidence-based curriculum and training for faculty.  Jones earned a Master of Public Health from the University of West Florida and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Missouri Kansas City.

About Danielle Jones, PhD, MPH

Jones is a diversity, equity and inclusion professional with skills in policy development and evaluation, strategic planning, public speaking, project management and training.

Her research interests include translating the evidence-based knowledge regarding the social determinants of health and health equity into community and system level interventions that advance equitable outcomes for vulnerable populations.

Jones is a native of Kansas City, Kansas where she lives with her three daughters and extended family, including their 3-year-old lab mix Django.  In her downtime she enjoys traveling, wine tastings and Kansas City jazz.

About AWHONN

The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit membership organization. Our mission is to empower and support nurses caring for women, newborns, and their families through research, education, and advocacy.

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For more information, please contact Shannon Doolin at 202-261-2410 or sdoolin@awhonn.org.