Biography
Dr. Ashley White Jones is a native of Lambert, MS, where she attended the Quitman County Public Schools. Her academic degrees include Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, a Master of Public Health both from Jackson State University and Doctor of Philosophy in Health Education and Promotion from the University of Alabama. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Mississippi, she served as the Assistant Clinical Professor at Mississippi State University-Meridian and the first Executive Director of Community Health Improvement Network (CHIN) a non-profit cross sector network formed in 2017 by community and healthcare leaders to raise community awareness of healthcare needs for underserved residents of Lauderdale County and the surrounding area.
She has also been instrumental in developing strategic plans for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Health Equity Team, a premier public health philanthropy. Additionally, she worked in various roles through public health consulting firms with the Mississippi State Department of Health where she was involved in completing several projects with the Oral Health Unit, Preventive Health, and the Office of Minority Health as well as working to implement evidence-based teen pregnancy and STD/HIV prevention within the state of Mississippi and maternal health.
Her academic research interest focuses on health equity and disparities in the Black community. Her current research focus explores culturally responsive mental health teletherapy for Black and other minority communities. In her work, she uses a qualitative method called found poetry to analyze interview transcripts and to compose narratives about African American men’s past experiences with the health care system. Additionally, she is working to create a curriculum for nursing and public health studies centered on Black maternal health. She serves as Research Advisor for Hurdle Health, a digital therapy company that provides culturally intentional mental healthcare with a focus on the Black community and minorities.
Education
M.P.H. Public Health, Jackson State University (2012)
Ph.D. Health Promotion, The University of Alabama (2017)