JACKSON, Miss. – Dan Jones has been chosen to lead obesity research at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
The hospital announced Thursday that Jones will join its’ staff as Director of Clinical and Population Sciences for the Mississippi Center for Obesity Research on September 15, a day after his contract ends as Chancellor of Ole Miss.
“This is a welcome opportunity for the next stage of my career,” said Jones. “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. (John) Hall to fill this position in the center allows me to do this in the state of Mississippi I love so much.”
Hall, the Arthur Guyton Professor and Chair of Physiology and Biophysics and director of the Mississippi Center for Obesity Research said in a written statement: “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,” said Hall. “He is uniquely qualified for this position in so many different ways.”