Laundette P. Jones, PhD, MPH

• Morgan State University, BS, Chemistry, 1992
• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, PhD, Environmental Health Sciences, 2000
• National Cancer Institute, NIH, Postdoctoral study, Laboratory of Experimental Carcinogenesis, 2001
• Georgetown University, Lombardi Cancer Center, Postdoctoral Study, Tumor Biology 2005
• University of Maryland, Baltimore, MPH, Community and Population Health, 2018

Dr. Laundette Jones is a transdisciplinary biosocial researcher whose work bridges basic biomedical science, environmental health, and community-engaged public health to advance cancer equity. Trained in the molecular mechanisms of cancer as well as population and community health, Dr. Jones brings a rare ability to connect discoveries at the cellular level with the lived experiences of communities disproportionately affected by chronic disease.

For more than 15 years, Dr. Jones led an NIH-funded research laboratory investigating genetic and environmental risk factors for breast cancer through cell culture and animal models. She received international recognition for her contributions to understanding the interplay between BRCA1 mutations, hormone regulation, and cancer susceptibility. Her subsequent MPH training has uniquely positioned her to build transdisciplinary research teams that integrate basic scientists, clinicians, public health experts, and community partners to address biological, environmental, and social determinants of cancer disparities.

Dr. Jones approaches her work as an embodied researcher, shaped by an upbringing marked by economic hardship, periods of housing instability, and the generosity of others that sustained her family. These early experiences instilled a posture of humility, gratitude, and service that now anchor her commitment to health equity. She understands firsthand how dignity, community support, and opportunity can transform a life, and this perspective informs her participatory and relational approach to research, guided by the belief that the care we receive becomes the care we are called to extend. These formative experiences also cultivated a values-based leadership approach and a deep commitment to bridge-building across systems, connecting scientists, communities, and future health professionals.

Dr. Jones also plays a central role in transforming health professions education through community-engaged interprofessional learning and practice-based training. She co-develops and leads innovative educational models that bring public health, medical, and biomedical students into shared, community-centered learning environments that build relational skills, deepen interprofessional teamwork, and prepare learners to collaborate effectively across diverse health settings. As Director of Experiential Learning in the Master of Public Health (MPH) Program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, she oversees the Applied Practice Experience (APE) and leads the development of applied, community-engaged training pathways that immerse students in meaningful, practice-based public health work. Across these initiatives, Dr. Jones integrates Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competencies with community priorities to strengthen reflective practice, professional formation, and the preparation of future health professionals for collaborative and equity-oriented practice.

Across all her roles, Dr. Jones is committed to transforming the health knowledge ecosystem by strengthening partnerships between scientists, communities, and future health professionals—ultimately working toward equitable, community-rooted solutions to cancer and chronic disease.

Participatory Health Research, Environmental Health Sciences, Community & Population Health, Mammary gland carcinogenesis, Adipose tissue biology, Cancer Survivorship, Health Equity

1. Jones LP, Buelto D, Tago E, Owusu-Boaitey KE. Abnormal Mammary Adipose Tissue Environment of Brca1 Mutant Mice Show a Persistent Deposition of Highly Vascularized Multilocular Adipocytes. J Cancer Sci Ther. 2011 Dec 8;(Suppl 2). doi: 10.4172/1948-5956.s2-004. PubMed PMID: 24501658; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3851023.
2. Sigl V^#, Owusu-Boaitey K^#, Joshi PA, Kavirayani A, Wirnsberger G, Novatchkova M, Kozieradzki I, Schramek D, Edokobi N, Hersl J, Sampson A, Odai-Afotey A, Lazaro C, Gonzalez-Suarez E, Pujana MA, Cimba F, Heyn H, Vidal E, Cruickshank J, Berman H, Sarao R, Ticevic M, Uribesalgo I, Tortola L, Rao S, Tan Y, Pfeiler G, Lee EY, Bago-Horvath Z, Kenner L, Popper H, Singer C, Khokha R, Jones LP^#, Penninger^#. JM. RANKL/RANK control Brca1 mutation-driven tumors. Cell Res. 2016 Jul;26(7):761-74. doi: 10.1038/cr.2016.69. Epub 2016 May 31. PubMed PMID: 27241552; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5129883. ^#Contributed equally.
3. Sharmeen, A, Perry, C, Archie, C, Archie Jr, U, Edwards, L, & Jones, LP (2023). Perspectives on Benefits and Challenges to Developing a Co-Teaching and Co-Learning Exchange between Community and Academic Partners. Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, 17(2), 227-232.
4. Vucenik I, Jones LP and McLenithan JC. Metabolic Syndrome: A Comprehensive Textbook – Contribution: Linking Obesity, Metabolism and Cancer. Rexford S. Ahima, Eds. Cham; Springer International Publishing: Imprint: Springer, 2^nd, 2024, 603-620.
5. Burduladze, N, Jones, LP, Jones, BD, Msowoya, U, Salsberg, J, Whitney, A, & Gilfoyle, M (2024). Exploring power and power sharing in participatory health research partnerships: A scoping review protocol. Plos one, 19(7), e0303799.