Morehouse School of Medicine Dr. Camara Jones appointed to the DeKalb County Board of Health

 

 

 

 

Dr. Camara JonesWho you are and your role with MSM?

I am a family physician and social epidemiologist whose work focuses on naming, measuring, and addressing the impacts of racism on the health and well-being of the nation.  I am also the President-Elect of the American Public Health Association.

 

I was recruited to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from the Harvard School of Public Health in 2000, have been an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) in the Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine since 2003.  I was on loan from CDC to the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at MSM from November 2013, and resigned from CDC to have a full-time affiliation with MSM at the end of December 2014.

 

What MSM department do you work with?

I am a Senior Fellow in the Satcher Health Leadership Institute and in the Cardiovascular Research Institute, and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine.

 

Who is the Dekalb County Board of Health?

The DeKalb County Board of Health is the government agency that works to protect and improve the health of those who live, work, and play in DeKalb County.  The seven-member Board of Directors of the DeKalb County Board of Health establishes broad agency directions and priorities; adopts policies, rules, regulations, and annual budgets; and reviews the agency’s performance.

 

What is the significance of your new appointment?

I have been appointed by the City of Atlanta to represent the Atlanta residents who are also residents of DeKalb County on the Board of Directors of the DeKalb County Board of Health.  Each of the seven members of the Board is appointed to fill a special role:

 

1. Chief Executive Officer of County Government Administration:  The Honorable Jeff Rader, County Commissioner, DeKalb County

 

2. Chief Executive Officer of Governing Authority in the County:  The Honorable Ted Terry, Mayor, City of Clarkston

City of Atlanta, DeKalb County Residents:  Dr. Camara Jones

 

3. Consumer of Health Services:  Ms. Jacqueline Davis

 

4. Consumer Representing the County’s Needy, Underprivileged, or Elderly Community:  Ms. Arlene Parker Goldson

DeKalb County School District:  Dr. Vasanne Tinsley Physician:  Dr. Daniel Salinas

 

What lead to your appointment?

  • I am well-known and very active in public health at the national level, as evidenced by my recent election as President-Elect of the American Public Health Association.  In May 2014, I attended a meeting of the DeKalb County Board of Health as an observer because I wanted to become more connected to local public health, and learned that the City of Atlanta seat on the Board of Directors had been vacant for some time.  I had previously served my community as the Druid Hills Civic Association representative to NPU-N, and welcomed the possibility of serving my community again using my health expertise.  Current members of the Board of Directors and the current Director of the DeKalb County Board of Health were also very interested in having me serve on the Board.  After nearly a year, the procedural steps for both the City of Atlanta and DeKalb County were accomplished and I was formally named to the Board.

 

How long is your appointment term?

My Board appointment is for six years.

 

 

Click here to read official press release