AACN Board
July 2017-June 2020
Deborah Jones, PhD, RN, serves a three-year term as a director on the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) board of directors from July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2020.
She is senior vice president and dean of the University of Texas Medical Branch School of Nursing, and also the Rebecca Sealy Distinguished Centennial Chair. Jones has held several administrative and leadership roles in academia, healthcare facilities and professional organizations, including associate dean for professional development and faculty affairs, department chair and assistant dean for undergraduate programs. She has taught all nursing programs from baccalaureate to doctoral levels and led curricula development and revision. For several years, she was a nurse research consultant at Memorial Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center.
Her research contributes to improving outcomes in acutely and critically ill patients as well as those with Parkinson’s disease through evidence-based oral health practices and interprofessional oral health education. Jones’ contributions have furthered the development of national oral care protocols aimed at reducing ventilator-associated pneumonia. She has also been funded to explore the impact of moral distress on interprofessional healthcare providers. Jones has several publications and given national and international presentations.
Jones is very active in local, regional and national professional organizations. She served as a member of the National Nursing Oral Health Workgroup, an advisory committee on nursing’s role in advancing a national oral health agenda. She is an expert opinion leader in the area of oral, respiratory and critical care. Jones served two terms on the Southern Nursing Research Society board of directors, and was co-chair of the Alzheimer’s Association Houston & Southeast Chapter Care Consultation and Helpline Committee.
Jones has received several honors, including the President’s Award from the Texas Nurses Association (TNA) District Nine (2018), the Virginia Commonwealth University Outstanding Nursing Alumnus Award (2017), fellowship in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Leadership for Academic Nursing Program (2015) and the TNA District Nine Foundation’s 25 Outstanding Nurses of 2015.
She earned a PhD (2007) and a Master’s in Nursing Administration (2002), both from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Radford University, Radford, Virginia (1999).