- Faculty & Staff, Message from the Dean, Students
- September 12, 2021
Colleagues,
With enormous sadness I write to let the community know that Dr. David Jones, Associate Professor in the Department of Health Law, Policy and Management, passed away yesterday in an accident.
In truth I have no words to describe the devastation of this news. David joined the School of Public Health in 2014. He has, since then, been an exemplary member of our community. He was founding Editor-in-Chief of the Public Health Post, he was awarded AUPHA’s John D. Thompson Prize for Young Investigators, AcademyHealth’s Outstanding Dissertation Award, and the BU School of Public Health Excellence in Teaching Award. He cared deeply about bridging research and policy, and conducted work in places as far as France and the Mississippi Delta. And above all David was a wonderful human being, living with integrity and a deep commitment to all we do. I have so loved all my interactions with David, I cannot really imagine what it means to not have David as part of our community.
We will be holding space for faculty and staff on Monday from 1 – 2 pm who wish to gather tomorrow in the Founder’s Room and via Zoom. We will also hold space for students in the classes that Professor Jones taught this week during his regularly scheduled class time on Tuesday. Dean Lazic will also reach out shortly with resources available to faculty, staff, and students. Resources will be made available throughout the coming week, and we will plan to follow up in the coming days with details for a memorial to best celebrate his life and spirit.
In the meantime, our thoughts are with David’s family and all his loved ones. May we all live with intentionality and grace in honor of David’s memory.
With warmth, and deep sadness,
Sandro
Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH
Dean, Robert A Knox Professor
sgalea@bu.edu