NEWS

Dan Jones to join UMMC's obesity research team

Clay Chandler
The Clarion-Ledger
Outgoing Ole Miss chancellor will lead University of Mississippi Medical Center's obesity research efforts, starting in September.

Outgoing Ole Miss chancellor Dan Jones will join University of Mississippi Medical Center's obesity research center on Sept. 15.

His start date is the day after his contract as chancellor expires.

The state College Board voted March 20 to begin preparations to search for Jones' successor, essentially not renewing his contract. Jones had been chancellor at Mississippi's flagship university since 2009. Before that, he was UMMC's vice chancellor for health affairs.

Dr. John Hall, UMMC's Arthur Guyton Professor and Chair of Physiology and Biophysics and director of the Mississippi Center for Obesity Research, said he turned to Jones when the search for the center's clinical and population sciences position stalled two years and five candidates into the process. Hall said Jones was "uniquely qualified" for the post. Jones' title will be MCOR's director of clinical and population sciences. He will be the first to hold the Mr. and Mrs. Joe F. Sanderson, Jr. Endowed Chair in Obesity, Metabolic Diseases and Nutrition.

"Because Dan Jones has been in university administration for the last 13 years, not everyone remembers that he is an eminent physician-scientist who was the original principal investigator of the Jackson Heart Study and served as president of the American Heart Association," Hall said.

Jones' career at UMMC started in 1992, when he joined the medical center's faculty. He was involved in clinical and population research related to hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors until he became associate vice chancellor for health affairs in 2002. He was named vice chancellor and dean of the medical school in 2003.

In his new role, Jones will be asked to confront Mississippi's most common and expensive health problem. According to UMMC figures, obesity costs the state $1 billion in annual health care expenses. Its spinoff ailments, like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, are among the state's most common causes of death.

"This is a welcome opportunity for the next stage of my career," Jones said in a UMMC press release. "Over the last several weeks, I have explored several good opportunities in universities outside Mississippi. As I examined options, it became clear to me that my first priority was to seek a position where I could work on important issues where there was a real need. The invitation from Dr. Hall to fill this position in the center allows me to do this in the state of Mississippi I love so much. "When I worked as an administrator on the formation of this center, I never dreamed I would have the opportunity to return to the Medical Center in my role as a physician scientist," Jones said. "I'm grateful to Dr. Hall and (UMMC vice chancellor for health affairs) Dr. LouAnn Woodward for their confidence in asking me to fill this role and to make a difference in Mississippi."

Jones' tenure as Ole Miss' chief executive will end June 15, when provost Morris Stocks takes over as interim chancellor, where he will stay until the College Board appoints Jones' permanent replacement.

Contact Clay Chandler at (601) 961-7264 or cchandler@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @claychand on Twitter.