Duke Health System Names New Associate Vice President for Community Health

DURHAM, NC – Debra Clark Jones has been named Associate Vice President for Community Health for the Duke University Health System (DUHS). This role, reporting jointly to DUHS and Duke University, is a significant milestone toward forging purposeful partnerships in Durham and the region in a unified and coordinated way. A recognized leader in enterprise program management, healthcare outreach, and community engagement, Debra brings immense experience in innovative approaches to identify needs in underserved populations and advancing equity through technology and data-driven decision-making. She will begin her new role on October 25.

Building on the community health legacy of the late MaryAnn Black, as Associate Vice President for Community Health, Debra will help synergize Duke’s role as a university, employer, and healthcare provider to better support communities holistically throughout the state. Her deep expertise in data analytics and strategic communications to address societal and health disparities and her unparalleled track record for serving and positively impacting the community makes Debra uniquely qualified to fill this important role.

Clark Jones is currently vice president for university advancement, external affairs, and technology at Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh. She is also president and senior consultant of TEQuity, a firm providing technology, analytics, and marketing services to universities, corporations, governmental agencies, and non-profits.

Debra’s volunteer work demonstrates strong ties to the community and a passion for healthcare. She is a member of the National Institutes of Health’s Alzheimer’s Disease National Outreach Strategies Task Force, the founder of the Healing Race Foundation, a board member of the Veterans Healing Farm, a board member of the Wake County Public School System’s HUB Advisory Committee and a member of the Danville Regional Foundation Health Collaborative.

Katie Galbraith, President of Duke Regional Hospital, has also been serving as interim head for community health.