Deborah J. Jones is the new senior vice president and dean of UTMB nursing school
Deborah J. Jones has been appointed senior vice president and dean of The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston School of Nursing.
Jones, currently the associate dean for professional development and faculty affairs at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Nursing, will join UTMB on Dec. 1.
“Dr. Jones is a dedicated mentor, passionate researcher and energetic leader, and she is a great addition to an already outstanding team. I’m excited to welcome her to our UTMB family,” said Dr. Danny O. Jacobs, executive vice president, provost and dean of UTMB’s School of Medicine.
Jones said, “It is an honor and a privilege to be named dean of the school of nursing at UTMB, a school with a long history of excellence that provides an education for future health care professionals that is second to none.”
Jones is an expert in oral care and her research has helped change national health protocols aimed at reducing ventilator-associated pneumonia by improving oral hygiene.
Earlier this year, she was elected to a three-year term to the board of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. She serves as a peer reviewer for many national and international nursing and interdisciplinary journals including the Journal of Clinical Nursing and American Journal of Critical Care.
Jones holds a doctorate and a master’s degree in nursing administration from Virginia Commonwealth University and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Radford University.
Jones appointment comes after the recent retirement of Pamela G. Watson in September who served 16 years as dean.